The Times Union is an American daily newspaper, serving the Capital Region of New York. Although the newspaper focuses on Albany and its suburbs, it covers all parts of the four-county area, including the cities of Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The paper was founded in 1857 as the Morning Times, becoming Times-Union by 1891, and was purchased by William Randolph Hearst in 1924. The newspaper has been online since 1996. The editor of the Times Union is Rex Smith, who has held the post since July 2002. He had been the paper's managing editor. George Hearst is the publisher. The newspaper is printed in its Colonie headquarters by the Hearst Corporation's Capital Newspapers Division. The daily edition costs $2 and the Sunday/Thanksgiving Day edition costs $3. Home delivery prices are slightly lower. The Times Union announced in May 2006 that it would pay $3.5 million over 10 years for the naming rights of the Pepsi Arena in downtown Albany. On January 1, 2007, the arena was renamed the Times Union Center.
Sections
Daily
Front Section: The Times Union's A section contains national, world, state, and celebrity news, corrections, editorials, an editorial cartoon, commentaries, and letters to the editor. In 2007, the paper reorganized its daily sections and began placing late-breaking local news stories in the front section.
Capital Region: The local section contains news relating to the Capital District, obituaries, a calendar of events, and the weather report. It also contains columns by Fred LeBrun, Paul Grondahl and Chris Churchill.
Sports: The sports section covers local and national sports events at high school, college, and professional levels. Outdoor activities are also represented.
Perspective: The Perspective section includes editorials, columns and letters to the editor.
Thursday
In addition to the above, the Thursday edition contains:
Preview: A tabloid section covering movies, music, dance, theater, and other entertainment topics. It contains movie reviews in brief, a calendar of events, personals, and a review of an inexpensive restaurant.
Sunday
In addition to the daily sections, the Sunday edition contains:
Perspective: Contains opinion commentaries, editorials, an editorial cartoon, letters to the editor, obituaries, and a report of Congressional votes.
Spaces: A tabloid section with real estate listings and articles on housing topics.
Travel/Books: A two-part section with the first portion covering travel and the second covering books. It contains travel articles, weekly airfares, book reviews, and the New York Times Bestseller List.
Parade Magazine: The Sunday Times Union includes this national magazine covering lifestyle and celebrity topics.
Arts/Events: The arts section has articles on classical music, the visual arts, and theater. It also contains a calendar of events, museum and gallery listings, and a Broadway theater directory.
The Sunday paper also has numerous advertising circulars and coupon pages.
Editorial board
The Times Union's editorial board consists of:
George R. Hearst III—Publisher
Rex Smith—Editor
Jay Jochnowitz—Editorial Page Editor
Michael V. Spain—Associate Editor
Tena Tyler—Senior Editor. Engagement
Harry Rosenfeld—Editor-at-Large
Source: The paper is mentioned as the employer of Jane Fonda's character in the film, "Sundays in New York". She states she is the music critic for this paper.
