ROCKINGHAM — A homegrown advertising executive has returned to his native North Carolina to help local businesses reach their customers through the Richmond County Daily Journal.
David Spencer started work Monday as the newspaper’s media sales director and general manager. He previously served as a new media sales manager for parent company Civitas Media in Portsmouth, Ohio, overseeing a territory that encompassed southern Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee.
“I want to strengthen our relationships with business owners and build new ones,” Spencer said. “We’re here to serve them and be a partner in the community.”
Spencer succeeds Scott Ricardi, who left to accept a position as digital sales manager at the Morning News in Florence, South Carolina.
Spencer was born and raised in Lumberton and holds a bachelor’s degree in ethno-musicology from N.C. Central University in Durham and a master’s in entertainment business from Full Sail University.
He worked as a middle-school choir and band teacher before starting his career in advertising. After selling ads for a telephone directory, Spencer became an ad representative at his hometown newspaper, The Robesonian.
Spencer hopes to help the Daily Journal grow its advertising base and readership, appealing to a younger demographic whose members are more likely to read local news on smartphones, tablets and computers than to pick up the print edition.
“There’s some new programs that don’t have a long history,” he said. “I’m willing to try some stuff that hasn’t necessarily been done traditionally.”
More than 100,000 unique visitors read stories and advertisements on YourDailyJournal.com each month, making the Daily Journal’s website a top online destination for Richmond County residents.
In his role at the Daily Journal, Spencer also serves as media director and general manager of sister newspapers The Anson Record in Wadesboro and The Cheraw (S.C.) Chronicle.
Advertisers can reach customers throughout the Sandhills and Pee Dee regions through the Daily Journal and its partners, which also include The Laurinburg Exchange, The Robesonian, The Sampson Independent and The Bladen Journal.
Spencer and his wife have a 2-year-old daughter and 9-month-old son. In his spare time, Spencer is a gospel recording artist who enjoys singing and playing the piano. He also has served as music director at several churches.
“I songwrite and produce,” he said. “That’s kind of like my other side. My getaway is my music.”
For information on advertising in the Daily Journal, Anson Record and Cheraw Chronicle, call Spencer at 910-817-2667 or email him at [email protected].