History

In its 28th year the Daytona Times has come a long way from its initial issue back in 1978 when it hit the newsstands as Daytona Beach's 'Voice of the Black Community.'

Those days, trained typesetters would type and arrange the entire newspaper in what was an arduous, time-consuming process. Then came the advent of the 'cut and paste' era, when news articles and advertisements were printed out individually, then cut up and pasted on large composition boards before being sent to the printer.

Today, sophisticated computer software generates the entire newspaper before data files are sent electronically via the Internet to a commercial printer. Technology has indeed drastically refined production by engendering a much more efficient process.

Through more than a quarter century of publication, the Daytona Times has weathered many storms, continuing to fight through seemingly insurmountable obstacles to produce a quality newspaper that has become a source of information and pride for Daytona Beach's Black residents and the community at large. Among hundreds of other awards, the Daytona Times received the 2001 Florida Commission of Human Relations' Civil Rights Advocacy Award in the category of media during the 11th Annual Florida Civil Rights Conference in West Palm Beach.

The Daytona Times has also been a starting point for many aspiring journalism students and photographers from local colleges. Now, many of those talented writers are on the staffs of major newspapers across the nation.

Under the leadership of publisher Charles W. Cherry, II, the newspaper will continue to blaze the trail laid down by founder Charles W. Cherry, Sr. who died in November 2004. The elder Cherry left a great legacy, as his life was an eloquent testimony to the lofty heights an individual can aspire to through hard work, unflagging perseverance, and by setting high personal and professional goals.