click to enlarge - Robert Eddy/Herald of Randolph
- M. Dickey Drysdale
The rumors are true: The weekly newspaper the
Herald of Randolph has a new owner.
Herald photographer Tim Calabro bought the paper Tuesday from M. Dickey Drysdale, who has run the White River Valley publication for 43 years.
Speculation about a possible sale had been circulating among Vermont media watchers for some time. Drysdale, 70, will continue to write part time for a few years but will cede daily operations to 32-year-old Calabro, who will be editor.
In a front page
Herald story, Calabro said he believes the newspaper, with a circulation of 5,500, has a successful approach to covering the news that he plans to keep. "I believe in the
Herald because it's good already," he said.
Drysdale was only 26 when he took over the paper from his father. For decades he has written news stories, editorials and responded to the many challenges that arise in journalism. In a telephone interview Thursday, Drysdale said he won't miss a few things.
“The sudden emergencies that come up, like when your driver calls on Wednesday afternoon and says by the way he can't deliver the papers today. It doesn't happen very often but it has happened,” Drysdale said.
Leaving the helm of the newspaper he has run for decades resulted in a "complicated feeling," Drysdale said. "This is what I've been doing every year for a long time."
Calabro's connection to the
Herald goes way back. He was an intern during his senior year at South Royalton High School and began working part time at the
Herald as an undergraduate at the University of Vermont. After graduation, he started as a full-time photographer shooting news, features and sports. Both he and Drysdale have collected many awards from the Vermont Press Association. Earlier this year, Drysdale was inducted into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame by the New England Newspaper Press Association.
The
Herald was founded in 1874. Calabro will be the fifth publisher. He plans no big changes in staffing or format, according the story published in the
Herald.