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Meet Ann Hoffman, Publisher of The Daily Advance

Jun 22, 2008 - Ann Hoffman is enthusiastic about the potential
for commerce in Elizabeth City and beyond. As publisher of The Daily Advance, she knows a thriving business community makes for strong advertising sales - the fuel that keeps the newspaper's print and online editions rolling.

"I'm optimistic about the region's future," said Hoffman. "We need to focus on not just Elizabeth City, but the region."

That's the kind of news leaders of the Albemarle Economic Development Commission want to hear. The group markets business opportunities in Elizabeth City and Pasquotank and Camden counties to prospective employers throughout the United States.

Recent Daily Advance headlines have reported news of a $3 million expansion of TCOM, L.P.'s airship and maintenance facility; the development of a $10.4-million Elizabeth City Aviation Research and Development Commerce Park; and the expansion of Elizabeth City State University's Pharmacy Program.

Covering the news is not enough for the publisher, however. Hoffman wants to help support her new home by serving on local and regional business boards and committees.

"I'm starting to get involved with the community, as publishers do," she explained.

Hoffman reported to work as The Daily Advance publisher earlier this year. Originally from Bloomsburg, Pa., she's been a reporter for the Raleigh Times and an editor at The Virginian-Pilot. In 1994, her career took her to the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, owned by media group Cox Enterprises, Inc. Hoffman spent 14 years with the Cox Ohio Group, eventually serving as publisher of two dailies and seven non-dailies.

When the previous publisher of The Daily Advance accepted a new position in Texas, Hoffman pursued her own transfer to Elizabeth City, recalling the city's pretty waterfront and rich history.

"I had this romanticized vision of what the area looked like," Hoffman said. "The water, the pace of life. That was all very appealing to me."

Hoffman is settling into her new job.

From a second-floor office on Water Street, where she has a bird's-eye view of the Elizabeth City waterfront, the business day moves quickly. She reads the paper, checks the Web site, meets with the paper's senior managers and sets the pace for the overall operations.

With a circulation of 10,700, The Daily Advance is the region's primary source of local news, serving five counties in northeastern North Carolina, from Gates to Currituck.

In recent years, the newspaper revamped its Web site and has added multi-media content - a move that Ann favors.
"It's Web first, as far as news goes," said Hoffman. "However, I do not see the end of the printed newspaper. We have to juggle both platforms - print and online."

She also wants The Daily Advance to "reflect more than what City Council is doing, to capture the full sense of the people and place. Our responsibility is to cover the community, warts and all. That's our job.

"But we also need to champion the good things that are happening and to celebrate the successes," she said.

At the end of the day, Hoffman may depart for an after-work business meeting. She serves on the boards of the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce and the River City Community Development Corporation. She has also joined a business consortium focused on looking at new ways to improve the public schools.

Hoffman believes Elizabeth City has the potential to draw new and relocating businesses.

The city has plenty of attributes, she said, such as the College of the Albemarle, Elizabeth City State University, Albemarle Hospital and the Coast Guard. "Having all of these things is a wonderful attraction. It's how to leverage that - build on what's already here.

"I think Elizabeth City is ready to be a little gem."

Just the Facts:

• The Daily Advance was first published by founder, publisher and editor Herbert Peele as a weekly newspaper in 1911. It became a daily newspaper in 1916.


• Today, The Daily Advance is owned by Cox Enterprises, one of the nation's largest media companies. The newspaper has a circulation of 10,000 home and single copy subscribers.


• Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Cox Enterprises produces 17 daily and 26 non-daily newspapers, including The Atlanta Journal Constitution.


• In addition to The Daily Advance, Cox's other North Carolina newspapers include The Daily Reflector (Greenville), the Rocky Mount Telegram and 10 weekly newspapers, many within the northeastern region.

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