Republicans fighting back-starting own newspaper

Pittslyvania County Virginia, the largest county in the state and home to Danville, is predominantly conservative. And they're pissed. The local newspaper, The Danville Register & Bee, backed Democrat Tom Perriello over incumbent Virgil Goode and Goode lost - by a few hundred votes.

Major advertisers have already begun to pull their ads in protest and Republican "old money" has started seriously shopping for a new newspaper. Other advertisers in Danville are being approached by citizen groups carrying petitions and are being asked not to advertise with the Register & Bee. It's not a boycott, just readers voting with their wallets.

Rumors that local real estate agents will be next to pull their ads have circulated for months, but the recent action by the area's largest auto dealership - Woodall's, has seemed to push a few more folks off of the fence.

"We (Republicans) raised a million dollars for Danny (Marshall)," one potential investor said. "I don't see why the Republicans can't raise that much to start a new newspaper."

According to those close to the efforts, anger over the editing of anti-Perriello comments were edited OUT of their letters to the editor and many letters to the editor have also been edited in such a way as to change the intent and message in the letter.

"I want a paper that reports both sides fairly, not just the democrat's viewpoint," another investor said. "I can make up my own mind if I hear both sides, but The Register & Bee doesn't give you that option."

Angry subscribers cancelled their subscriptions after the election and also began calling and contacting advertisers or pulling their own ads. The Register & Bee has suffered under the weak management of Publisher Steve Kaylor and Managing Editor Arnold Hendrix. Advertisers and readers pulled ads and canceled subscriptions and protested in the last year over the newspaper's Sunday feature story in which reporter Mac McLean described a local drink as a "real panty dropper"....McLean also filmed the breasts of a local advertiser and business woman and showed the video of her and another business woman around the newsroom while giggling like a little girl and saying, "I can see her nipples." MacLean was NOT disciplined, but those who objected to the video were fired or later forced out for protesting a "hostile workplace."