The purchase of The Herald and two other dailies in South Carolina — The Island Packet in Hilton Head, and The Beaufort Gazette of Beaufort—marked McClatchy's first foray into the Southern United States.
McClatchy's purchase of most of Knight Ridder's properties, finalized in June 2006, made The Herald a sister publication of its longtime rival, The Charlotte Observer.
Debbie Abels will also report to the publisher of The Charlotte Observer, Ann Caulkins, instead of the McClatchy Regional Vice President as Canepa did.
In February 2016, it was announced that Angela Joines, a 20-year veteran of The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) would take over as General Manager/Advertising Director, filling vacancy left by former publisher, Debbie Abel's retirement in December 2015.
[4] Jim Hoagland, a nationally syndicated columnist for The Washington Post and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, began his career working summers at The Evening Herald.