Whenever a new chapter in the history of a company unfolds, it's prudent to step back and pay tribute to those who had the vision and laid the foundation for the business.
Such is the case with the Cape Gazette and its founders Dennis Forney and Trish Vernon. The pair recently announced their retirement and sale of the community newspaper to employee and co-publisher Chris Rausch, which keeps the newspaper in local hands.
During a time when newspapers are on a steady decline nationwide, under the leadership of Dennis and Trish, the Cape Gazette has grown in circulation, founded the Beach Paper in 2000, added a midweek edition in 2004, developed a profitable internet edition and cemented its place in the community as a trusted news source.
Even during the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when advertising revenues hit all-time lows, the Cape Gazette continued its commitment as the eyes and ears of the community when local news was needed the most.
For nearly three decades, the Cape Gazette has bucked regional and national media trends. Since 2004, more than 1,700 weekly newspapers have gone out of business. A new term, news deserts, has been added to the vocabulary as more and more communities lose their connection to local happenings.
That's not been the case under the leadership of Dennis and Trish. The newspaper continues to be a resilient strand in the fabric of the Cape Region.
Readers turn to the Cape Gazette to get news and advertising they simply can't get anywhere else. From Cape Henlopen sports to local government reporting in Milton, Lewes, Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach, there is no other newspaper that fires on so many cylinders.
Over the years, Dennis and Trish hired a dedicated team of prize-winning journalists, advertising representatives and production staff who shared their passion.
The staff and community owe Dennis and Trish a large debt of gratitude. The Cape Gazette is community journalism at its finest. Those of us who work here are dedicated to carrying on the tradition Dennis and Trish began 28 years ago.
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Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporters Ron MacArthur and Chris Flood.
