Charles Apple

It’s official. I’m leaving The Virginian-Pilot. I’m the new art director for Sporting News Today, a daily newspaper that will launch July 23.

Blogging in Manila, March 2007.
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The unusual thing about this new paper: It’s not a “paper” at all — it’s totally electronic. A PDF file, in fact. With no printing presses, west-coast scores won’t be a problem at all.

What’s even more unusual about it: It’s free.

Sign up here. Every morning, you’ll receive a link in your e-mail. Click on the link and the PDF will open in your browser. When I saw what these guys were working on, the big question I had was: Why aren’t all newspapers delivered this way?

And the prototype pages are gorgeous. Very clean. Sporting News creative director Keith Wood has done a fabulous job setting up the format. It’ll be my task — and the task for my team — to make it all work.

I’ll supervise about six designers and production folks. But first, we’ll have to hire them. And fast. Like I said, we go live July 23.

My last day at work at the Pilot will be Friday, July 11. I’ll begin work in Charlotte on July 15. Sharon will pack up the cats, the dog, the guinea pigs, the turtles and other household vermin and follow as soon as she sells our condo in Virginia Beach.

On a related issue: Anyone want a nice condo in Virginia Beach?  

Sporting News Today an exciting new idea and I’m just tickled to be a part of it. And honored. I’ve been a fan of The Sporting News ever since I was introduced to it by my best pal in high school, Bailey Harris. Bailey’s now a big-time high school basketball coach in Lexington, S.C. I can’t wait to tell him I’m working for TSN. He’ll freak.

The New York Times did a big piece on the renaissance at The Sporting News a couple of weeks ago, focusing on this new venture. Perhaps you saw it.

The Sporting News is in the process of moving its entire operation to Charlotte, N.C., which is much closer to home for me. In fact, I graduated from Winthrop College in nearby Rock Hill, S.C., in 1984 and worked for a while as a sports stringer for The Charlotte Observer.

We moved back to Rock Hill in 1988 and lived there four-and-a-half years while I worked at — and redesigned — The Herald. We moved away right after our daughter was born in 1993.

The obligatory bio material: Before coming to the Pilot in 2003, I was graphics editor of The Des Moines Register for about four-and-a-half years. (Anyone detecting a pattern? It’s not intentional. My wife is quite frustrated by the fact that I’ve never quite become vested in a 401K plan.)

Before that, I worked as an artist at the Chicago Tribune, The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C., The Herald and The Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald.

I graduated from Winthrop College in 1984 with a degree in communications and a minor in political science. Find my portfolio here.

Ironically, I recently set a record at The Virginian-Pilot for the longest I’ve ever stayed at one paper. My previous record was the aforementioned four-and-a-half years in Rock Hill from 1988 to 1993. I passed that mark here in April.

I came here as graphics director in October 2003, quite open about my intent to only remain here two years. We did a lot of fabulous work in the meantime, though. That’s a credit to my fabulous staffers: Bob Voros. John Earle. Ken Wright. Miranda Mulligan. Xinning Huang. And to the incredibly talented interns who called the Pilot graphics department home: Rachel Matthews. Xinning, again. Lindi Daywalt-Feazel. Ji Qi. Allisence Chang.

My managerial position was eliminated on Jan. 2. My bosses were most gracious and generous about what essentially became a demotion for me. And my longtime colleague — Pilot presentation team leader Paul Nelson — suddenly became my supervisor. And man, has he been a patient guy.

I’m 46 years old. I teach a lot of classes on news design and graphics. I blog a bit. But you know that. For a larger view of the Sporting News Today, tickle the thumbnail:

Again, read more about Sporting News Today here.

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