The Southside Sentinel in Urbanna and the Rappahannock Record in Kilmarnock recently added a new advertising director to work with the current staff. David Cole is a veteran of 25 years in sales and a former weekly newspaper owner and publisher.
Cole co-founded the weekly Powhatan Today in 1986 and became the sole owner after buying out a business partner in 1996. He worked to steadily multiply the paper’s subscription base and advertising revenue until it was purchased by Media General in 2007. Under his ownership Powhatan Today won over 260 Virginia Press Association (VPA) awards for news and and graphic and advertising design.
Cole served on the VPA board of directors for 10 years and was president in 2004-05.
After selling his newspaper Cole worked three years in real estate sales and management before returning to the advertising field. He worked a year as advertising director at the Progress-Index in Petersburg before joining the Hanover Herald-Progress as an advertising account executive until 2015.
David and his wife, Sharon, live in Richmond. They also spend time at their “rivah” cottage on the Rappahannock River in Laneview. They have two grown children, Patrick and Erin.
Fred Gaskins, publisher of the Sentinel and Record, said he is excited that Cole will bring his years of experience to the papers.
“David is an enthusiastic believer in the importance of local, hometown newspapers and I know he will be developing ideas that will help advertisers in our area reach customers in new and fruitful ways…
