Add one more publication to the Baltimore newspaper fray.
The PressBox, a free weekly local sports publication with a circulation of about 25,000, launched April 27.
Stan “The Fan” Charles, founder and publisher of The PressBox, has been developing the idea of the newspaper since 2004. “I missed being Stan ?The Fan? in the sense of having to do with the sports debate in Baltimore,” Charles said.
Charles moved to Baltimore from Washington, D.C. with his family at the age of six in 1958. Charles, besides a three-year stay in North Carolina, has lived in Baltimore ever since. Charles said he got the inspiration to start his newspaper while living in Durham, N.C. from 2002-2004.
“I found a small local sports newspaper down there that had announcements for sports sign-ups, but it also had a some interesting notes,” Charles said. “I thought it could work on a larger scale.” Charles said he has about “six or seven” full-time employees.
Charles came back to Baltimore in July of 2004, and was working on the business plan for his new paper. “It is a big undertaking,” Charles said. Charles relied on private investors to launch the paper.
John Coulson is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for The PressBox. Coulson said he started as an advisor for the paper, but became involved on a full-time basis after seeing the business plan.
“It is not just about the newspaper,” Coulson said. “What we are selling is cross media entertainment between radio, the Internet and print. There have been similar papers in Buffalo and Pittsburgh and they have been extremely successful.”
Greg Schene is the Director of Marketing for Baltimore American Mortgage, a company that advertises in The PressBox. “You can never have enough good newspapers,” Schene said.
“We want to be part of the community as much as this paper wants to be,” Schene said. “We are committed for the long run.”
Charles was happy with the first week?s edition, but added: “There are 51 more of them in a year.”
OPENING THE PRESSBOX
The content for the paper is almost entirely submitted on a free-lance basis. The paper features several columns, and spans the range of local sports from recreational to professional. The publication is also online at www.pressboxonline.com. Publisher Stan Charles was a sports radio personality for more than 20 years. After being let go by Infinity Radio in 2001, Stan “The Fan” has returned to the airwaves with PressBox LIVE from 7-9 a.m. Saturdays on WJFK 1300 AM.
