The Times is a local news outlet focused on serving readers in Hall County and Northeast Georgia.
The newspaper is operated locally as part of Metro Market Media, a Gainesville-based company that also owns the Forsyth County News and Dawson County News.
The Times publishes twice weekly in print and maintains a daily news operation on digital platforms including gainesvilletimes.com, email newsletters, social media, apps for Android and Apple and a five-day ePaper.
The Times is located at 345 Green St. in Gainesville and led by Publisher Stephanie Woody and Managing Editor John Chambliss.
Our values
Times reporters are dedicated to covering issues of development, crime, government, education and other local topics important to the residents of Hall County.
As professional journalists, their role is to report as completely and impartially as possible verifiable facts so readers can, based on their own knowledge and experience, determine what they believe to be the truth. That is often an ongoing pursuit as journalists work to uncover stories and follow those stories wherever they lead, regardless of preconceived ideas.
The public has a right to know, and The Times is dedicated to that principle and the “continued enlightenment and freedom of the people of North Georgia,” as engraved outside our building.
The news reported is separate from the opinions shared in The Times, which include those by columnists, political cartoonists and readers who submit letters to the editor.
The presentation of both news and opinions is designed to educate, entertain and foster community conversation. Readers are encouraged to challenge and sharpen their perceptions based on that presentation.
And we encourage readers to do the same for our staff, offering news tips, criticisms and questions.
Our history
Originally known as The Gainesville Daily Times, the first issue came off the press Jan. 26, 1947. Founders Charles and Lessie Smithgall started the paper with a circulation of 3,000, printing Sunday through Friday. Ray Hull was the first editor, and his main reporter was Sylvan Meyer, who soon became managing editor, then editor over two of the paper's most important decades.
The "Gainesville" in the newspaper's name was dropped during the first decade.
In 1952, The Daily Times moved from its 303 Washington St. home around the block to 308 W. Spring St. WGGA-AM, also founded by Smithgall, shared the building, known as the Press-Radio Center.
By 1970, the paper had grown tremendously and moved to its current location on Green Street, which houses its press. In 1972, “Daily” was dropped from the name.
The Times was sold to Gannett in 1981 and by the next year, Gannett had expanded the press to accommodate printing of USA Today for parts of the Southeast.
In 2004, The Times was acquired by Morris Multimedia Inc., a Georgia-based company that is one of the largest privately held media organizations in the United States. The company was founded by Charles H. Morris in Savannah in 1970.
In 2018, The Times and its sister publications, Forsyth County News and Dawson County News, were purchased by Metro Market Media, a Gainesville-based company owned by Charles Hill Morris Jr.
Today, The Times continues to operate its press, printing The Times, Forsyth County News, Dawson County News as well as serving as the printer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In a changing news industry, The Times remains committed to the same ideals as those of its founders — the public’s right to know.