Recently, I saw a complete stranger reading a printed edition of The Memphis News in a restaurant downtown. I have always loved to see people picking up and reading our papers. This time, though, watching this man read through our paper was bittersweet. I knew – in a way he didn’t – that he held one of the last issues of a paper to be called The Memphis News.

The paper isn’t going away. It’s being rebranded as The West Tennessee News.

But there is a massive change underway in media in Memphis. And The Daily News – both in print and online - is changing as a result.

The Daily News isn’t going away either. The 131-year history of the paper will continue. If it’s up to me, The Daily News will continue, in print and online, for another 131 years. And beyond.

But a new online news source has launched in Memphis, The Daily Memphian, covering the full spectrum of news in Memphis with a staff of more than 20 local journalists. This allows The Daily News to return to its roots as a general interest, public information newspaper.

In my nearly 16 years at The Daily News, I’ve taken immense pride in the work we’ve done, which resulted in our building a reputation as a high-quality publication focused on politics, business and the community. The editorial staff who made that happen have all moved to The Daily Memphian, becoming part of one of the largest newsrooms in the city.

I’ll be running The Daily Memphian as its President & Executive Editor, while also continuing as Publisher & CEO of The Daily News and its sister papers, The Nashville Ledger, The Knoxville Ledger and The Hamilton County Herald. Chandler Reporters, our real estate information company, will also continue on as before.

Immense credit for what The Daily News has done editorially must be given to Peter Schutt, the owner of The Daily News, whose family has run the paper since its founding in 1886. Peter made a commitment to local journalism that many owners might not have done.

Again, The Daily News is not going anywhere. We’ll continue to publish news, public records and public notices, albeit on a smaller scale than before. Our weekly paper will continue under its new name, The West Tennessee News, with distribution outside the Memphis area. And our Web site will continue to be a source of news and a database of millions of local public records.

But we encourage you to add The Daily Memphian to your mix of local news sources. Thanks for your support of The Daily News.