Former AP chairman and newspaper Frank Daniels dies

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former Associated Press President Frank A. Daniels Jr. After an era of political and economic transformation, Raleigh died Thursday at the age of 90. According to his son, Frank Daniels III, he died in Raleigh's retired community where he lived. His son said his father died after a month of poor health.

For 26 years as a newspaper publisher of state political and government records, N&O has been a region of news, especially from the state's growing Research Triangle region. It has become a great country. , And an online pioneer. Similarly, his term as chair of AP's board of directors in the mid-1990s was characterized by the technological expansion of the nonprofit news co-operative.

Daniels' family company has brought technology into the newspaper industry by developing one of the first worldwide web newspapers, NandO Times. 1994 and Nando.net, a commercial internet service provider.

Daniels joined AP's board of directors in 1983 and chaired it from 1992 to 1997. During his stewardship, AP emphasized expanding its multimedia presence, launching a video news agency business, and developing "The Wire." Combine audio and video news with text and photos.

Daniels said, "We were enthusiastic about AP's entry into video early on. This was a big step for the news co-operative, and later we When successful, it proved to be the right move, "Luis 1985-2003 AP President and Chief Executive Officer D. Boccardi said in a recent email.

Daniels is a series on the environmental and health risks associated with the treatment of pork waste in North Carolina, N in early 1997, months after the newspaper received the Pulitzer Prize.&O Retired as a publisher. A growing pork production industry. This paper received two other Pulitzer Prizes in 1983, including the editor's Claude Sitton Commentary Award, when he was a publisher. coverage. They, consistently with Republican Senator Jesse Helms, sounded a whistle on the paper's Democratic-friendly editorial page and honored the paper conservative Monica, "Raleigh's Obstructors and Obstructors." It was known to have been worn as a badge.

Raleigh-born Frank Arthur Daniels Jr. was 14 years old when he started working on paper purchased by his grandfather at the 1894 auction.

Later Secretary of the Navy and Ambassador of Mexico Josephus Daniels used newspapers around 1900 to promote white supremacy among Democrats in North Carolina. However, by the next generation of family leaders, the News&observer has emerged as a solid position in citizenship and racial equality, an ongoing commitment under the leadership of Josephus Daniels' grandson.

"Frank Jr. was an outstanding modernizer of news&observers," said Ferrer Guillory, a political reporter, editorial page editor, and columnist who has been involved in this paper for over 20 years. .. "He saw newspapers as a catalyst for economic, social and civil involvement and improvement."

Northwestern University Journalism Honor Focusing on Digital Media Professor Owen Youngman praised Daniels' role as a pioneer in Internet publishing, especially sports content.

"Nando.net and NandoTimes dominated online sports in the early days," Youngman, who worked for the Chicago Tribune for decades, said in an email. "For example, ESPN and USA Today didn't go online until 1995, and Yahoo was trying to categorize the web rather than publish the news. Frank understands that geography is irrelevant. Nando was able to get an audience everywhere, and it did. "

In a tall, deep-voiced Southern draw, Daniels was at the University of North Carolina. I graduated from Chapel Hill School. After a mission in the Air Force that took him to Japan, he appeared full-time in his family's newspaper in 1956.

His father, Frank Daniels Sr., was a general manager and his uncle was an editor. Daniels learned about all aspects of the newspaper business, sold ads, and managed circulation, he said in an interview with UNC's 2002 Oral History Project. However, he mainly avoided reporting and writing.

"I was a terrible typist, and you must be able to type to write a story," Daniels said in a 2017 interview with PBS in North Carolina. .. "I enjoyed selling and enjoying being with people. I enjoyed making ... it seemed natural to me."

Daniels said his father's health was getting worse. In 1971, he was promoted to president and publisher. His son, Frank Daniels III, also eventually became editor-in-chief after a family business, leading the newspaper's Internet activities.

Many were surprised when the Daniels family agreed to sell paper and six local non-daily newspapers to McClutch in a $ 373 million deal. rice field.

"If you want to sell something, you want to be in a position to sell on your own terms," ​​Daniels Jr. said when the sale was announced.

McClatchy's leadership said the Raleigh newspaper was fascinating at the time. This is because California, where most newspapers were published, is less dependent on the economy. McClutch also previously purchased a South Carolina newspaper owned by The News and Observer Publishing Co.

After the sale, Daniels became part of a small investment group that bought about 70 miles (113 km) of Southern Pines pilots. Southwest of Raleigh. The group's holdings have expanded over time to include Business North Carolina and several other magazines.

Daniels was also the former chairman of the American Newspaper Association Foundation and the Southern Newspaper Association. His alma mater, Hasman Journalism Media School at North Carolina University, announced in 2020 that the family will establish a new Residence Executive Program bearing his name.

Daniels "has built a legacy of education, democracy, and courageous journalism that tells the truth throughout North Carolina," said UNC Chapel Hill Prime Minister Kebbingskievich at the time. Added "prepare". Next-generation media leader.

While chairing the AP, Daniels and Boccardi visited South Africa in 1995 several times to meet with media and world leaders, including the newly elected President Nelson Mandela. I visited overseas.

"Frank Daniels was looking forward to working with him," Boccardi said. "He had a very keen business mind, a relaxed management style, a hearty laugh, and an uncontrollable curiosity about everything."

Survivors, in addition to their sons Includes, 68-year-old wife, Julia Jones Daniels, and daughter Julia Graham Daniels. Three grandchildren. Four great-grandchildren. Two-step grandchildren and four-step great-grandchildren.