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Stadelmans purchase Putnam Standard, Cabell Standard

The Putnam Standard and Cabell Standard have new owners.

Stadelman Publishing acquired both weekly publications effective last week. The company, owned by Kelly Stadelman and Chris Stadelman, purchased them from PC Newspapers Inc., owned by Bill Unger.

Existing staff members Trudy Black, Michelle Jividen, David Miller, Thelma Hutchinson and Justin Waybright will remain with the company.

Stadelman Publishing owned and operated The Parsons Advocate, a weekly newspaper in Tucker County, from 2004 until 2011.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to get back into the newspaper business,” said Kelly Stadelman, who will become president of both newspapers. “There is a dedicated and talented staff in place, and we look forward to working with them and being involved in the community.”

Chris Stadelman will serve as publisher of the Putnam Standard and the Cabell Standard. He spent 10 years at the Charleston Daily Mail, serving as business editor, city editor and managing editor between 1994 and 2004.

“Kelly and I are passionate about newspapers, community journalism in particular,” Chris Stadelman said. “While we will never shy away from covering important and controversial stories, we understand that what people want is an accurate reflection of their community. We will spend most of our time covering people where they live – their schools, athletic fields, churches and similar gathering places.”

Unger acquired the newspapers from the late Dan Butcher in 2009. Prior to Butcher’s ownership, they were known as the Putnam Democrat and Cabell Record.

“We appreciate the history of both publications and look forward to embracing that while also making changes where appropriate,” Kelly Stadelman said. “We will maintain and enhance our already active websites, www.theputnamstandard.com and www.thecabellstandard.com, and plan to add social media to the way we communicate with readers.”

Both Chris and Kelly encourage feedback and ideas from readers. They can be reached at the office, 304-743-6731, or by e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected].

In addition to the Standard newspapers, the couple also operates Stadelman Consulting, a research and public affairs company that works throughout West Virginia and surrounding states. They will continue consulting work, including joint projects with The Manahan Group, owned by their longtime friend George Manahan.

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