CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — NCWV Media continued its growth efforts on Thursday, purchasing The Republican, a weekly newspaper based in Oakland, Maryland.
The deal is effective June 30, said Donald W. Sincell, president of Sincell Publishing Co. Inc., Oakland, and editor of The Republican newspaper.
The newspaper, which was founded in 1877 by James Hayden, has been owned and operated by five generations of the Sincell family since it was purchased from Hayden in 1890 by Sincell’s great-grandfather, Benjamin H. Sincell.
“This has been a difficult decision for our family,” said Donald Sincell, who has served as editor of the weekly for nearly 40 years.
“There is no one in the next generation of our family who is interested in taking over management of the business for the future, so the timing for such a decision seemed right.”
There will continue to be family involvement and management from members of the family, as Sincell’s younger sister will become the new editor of the paper, and his daughter will continue to be part of the news staff.
“In fact, we are so pleased that the majority of our long-time employees will still have their jobs upon the transfer of ownership, which was a significant concern for our family,” said Sincell, who added that all the employees “are like members of our family.”
Sincell said he is optimistic about the continued publishing of The Republican, stating that the new owner is “on the cutting edge” of the publishing business, in both print and online.
“Brian Jarvis, president of NCWV Media, also comes from a multi-generation family involved in newspaper publishing and clearly understands all of the aspects of ‘rural living,’ which was another important factor in our decision-making process,” Sincell said.
“He and his leadership team are passionate about local media and grasp so well the vitally important role that a local newspaper plays in the community. And they will be adding some exciting new and innovative content and services, giving our paper a fresh look overall.”
Jarvis, whose company publishes The Preston News & Journal, The Exponent Telegram daily, as well as The State Journal, The Bridgeport News, The Fairmont News, The Weston News, The Blue & Gold News and NCWV Life Magazine, said the Oakland paper fits the company’s strategic mission well.
“We are very excited to be part of The Republican. We plan to build on what the Sincell family did for several generations by continuing to provide great local reporting, being a proud partner of local businesses and creating a strong digital presence for the area,” Jarvis said.
Jarvis also said he believes the proximity of the Oakland paper to Preston County creates synergy between the two.
“Garrett County is located adjacent to Preston, which could naturally create many unique opportunities for the readers and customers of both publications,” Jarvis said.
NCWV Media purchased Preston Publications, which includes the Preston County News & Journaland the weekly shopper the Penny Saver, in November 2014.
Since it was brought into the NCWV Media family, it has won several awards from the West Virginia Press Association, as well as being named “Business of the Year” by the Preston County Chamber of Commerce at its April awards dinner.
The Republican will continue to be published for Thursday distribution, and at least for the short term, both the main office in Oakland and the satellite office in Grantsville Plaza will remain at the same locations.
“Our pledge is that The Republican will continue to provide great news and marketing delivered to the homes of Garrett County residents and those of many of our subscribers all across the country,” Jarvis said.
“We hope to improve on this local news coverage and distribution by increasing reporters and correspondents. Garrett County is large in geography, so having the resources to cover all the towns will be pivotal,” he said.
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Jay Ferguson
Who I Am
My name is Jay Ferguson, and I am a lifelong resident of the Deep Creek Lake area. I am also co-owner of the real estate side of Taylor Made. I have been in the real estate business for 21+ years now and I LOVE what I do! I have to say, my career really took off when I co-founded the real estate side of Taylor Made in 2014. Its been an amazing experience, building a real estate company from the ground up and achieving so much so quickly! In August 2016, we purchased Long & Foster Real Estate Deep Creek, where I had started my career in 2000. In 2018, we on-boarded virtually every agent from Coldwell Banker Deep Creek Realty as they closed up shop and the real estate family grew even more! We now have over 40 sales agents and have expanded to West Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well. Taylor Made is the #1 vacation rental company at Deep Creek with over 475 vacation rental homes, and over one hundred thousand yearly visitors. Its amazing what we have accomplished using the principles of honesty, teamwork and customer service!
Personally, my wife Jessica and I enjoy traveling and especially spending time in the outdoors, hiking and exploring the many diverse areas that Garrett County is naturally blessed with. We have raised two wonderful children here, Kayleah (22) and Noah (13). In the summer, we love spending time on the water with friends & family and enjoying the lake life! We are both active in our church, our community & local school activities, and we fill our schedule with plenty of volunteer efforts. I currently serve on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity. I am proud to say that I was named Deep Creek Time’s Favorite ‘Community Champion’ in 2019. I was also named Garrett County Realtor of the Year in 2018-19, as well.
I really enjoy promoting my hometown. I am very proud of the resort area that has developed over my lifetime and look forward to growing the area even more! Deep Creek Lake has been described as ‘The Lake Tahoe of the east', and I think that speaks volumes about the potential to own property here! Deep Creek Lake isn't really a town or city by itself; it's comprised of three towns: Oakland, Swanton & McHenry, Maryland. I am very passionate about my hometown and am impressed with how many people know about it as we travel around the country. Deep Creek Lake is an amazing place to visit and even better place to live! During the pandemic in 2020, our market exploded and more and more people left their primary residence in the city to live here permanently. With distance learning in schools and tele-commuting becoming the ‘norm’, many more people were drawn to the area to ‘live where they love to play’.
Why You Want Me Working for You: In addition to being an owner, I am consistently one of the top-producing agents in the entire area and the Associate Broker of record for Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales. I have 21+ years of experience and I am a problem solver. There aren’t many situations that I have not encountered and I have a strategy for almost every scenario that you may encounter. I
have extensively trained in all areas of real estate & emerging technologies, and also have trained as an appraiser, as well as served as a full-time Broker. I have a strong knowledge of the industry, as well as many trusted local contacts & affiliations that allow me to perform at a very high level and deliver results. I have a great deal of respect for my peers in this industry and have strong working relationships that I would love to put to work for you.
Call me to discuss your situation - I know I can be of great service to you & others you care about!
Honesty. Integrity. Results.
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