When Rex Smith joined the Times Union as managing editor in 1995, the paper was thriving—as were most newspapers in the country. It boasted a circulation of 101,000 daily and 160,000 on Sunday, ^[1] and had 146 employees in the newsroom.The paper was a must-read for the capital’s political leaders and its professional class. While it had some competition in the form of newsweeklies and other community daily papers, the Times Union dominated its news market.

Listen to Smith discuss the competitors and Times Union 's market presence.

The city it served was a major government and education center. Albany was often called the “most average city in America” because its 98,000 residents more closely mirrored national demographic averages than any other city. This made Albany, 136 miles north of New York City, a popular test market for new business and retail products.

Smith had earned a master’s degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism before making his way up though the ranks of traditional journalism. ^[2] In the 20 years before joining the Times Union , Smith had led a small daily in Indiana and a community paper in the Albany region, had worked as a political consultant, and had reported more than a decade for Newsday .