The Post and Courier announced on Tuesday that it is buying a new printer, marking a significant investment in the news organization’s future, while also planning to move out of its old building in downtown Charleston.
The 2008 single-width Goss Magnum press is being dismantled, packaged and transported from Skelleftca, Sweden. It is expected to arrive via a container ship in March. The purchase price was not disclosed.
The addition of the 115-foot printer, which features eight print towers and the ability to simultaneously print on two sides at 40,000 prints per minute, will provide a more energy-efficient printed product and advanced technology on a variety of page sizes. It will replace the company’s current printers, which were acquired in 1978 and 1990.
“Continued development of our capabilities and investment in quality journalism in formats that meet the needs of our readers, whether in print or online, will always be at the forefront of our newspaper’s mission,” said PJ Browning, president and editor of The Post and Courier. “The addition of the new printer will allow us to grow well in the future and provide a quality printed product worthy of the award-winning news we publish.”
Pierre Manigault, chairman of the board of directors of Evening Post Publishing, the newspaper’s parent company, said the new press represents “the next step in our commitment to expand professional journalism in South Carolina”.
“As we move forward in developing better digital access to our content, we will continue to offer the quality printed products that readers expect from our newspapers. The new printer allows us to produce enhanced versions of our own publications more efficiently, while giving us more ability to continue printing products for other companies in the communities we serve, ”said Manigault. “We invest in the best possible content delivery platforms because we value our journalistic obligation to ensure that readers continue to receive the information they need the way they want it.”
With the addition of the new press, the newspaper will move from the corner of King and Columbus and the press will be fully operational in the fall of 2021. A search for a new website for The Post and Courier is underway.
The newspaper’s current offices at 134 Columbus Street are expected to be rebuilt as part of the Courier Square project.
“As the Post and Courier advances technologically, the need for more modern facilities has become apparent. We are excited to develop the newspaper and the property to its full potential, ”said Ron Owens, senior vice president, Evening Post Industries.
The Post and Courier is a family-run newspaper founded in 1803, the oldest in South Carolina and the second oldest in the United States. With 92 journalists and photojournalists, it remains the largest news agency in the state. He expanded his coverage of South Carolina in 2020, launching daily news operations in Columbia, Greenville and Myrtle Beach.
In 2015, the newspaper won the second Pulitzer Prize. He was a Pulitzer finalist five times.