WELCH, W.Va. — Only days after indicating they were about to go out of business, owners of the Welch Daily News have announced a change of heart. Instead, the newspaper in McDowell County will continue with publication.
Owners say the reversal of plans came after a huge outcry from longtime and loyal readers.
“At least we’re going to make it to 100 years. We’ve received such feedback from our community and the whole state due to the historical implications of this paper,” Publisher Melissa Nester told Bluefield Television station WVVA. “A lot of the population is elderly. They don’t understand technology but they understand the newspaper. Those were very sad calls.”
The Welch Daily News has quite a history in its 91 years. The paper covered some of the biggest stories in the state’s history including John F. Kennedy’s historic 1960 campaign through the West Virginia coalfields. One of the paper’s former reporter, Jeanette Walls, is a New York Times Best Selling Author for her book “The Glass Castle.” Last week, the paper was prominently featured in the most recent episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “Part’s Unknown” on CNN which largely centered on Welch and McDowell County.