Foster returns to The Pickens Sentinel



Staff Report



EASLEY - Heartland Publications, the parent company of The Easley Progress, The Pickens Sentinel and Powdersville Post, this week announced changes to the management structure of their South Carolina newspapers.



Todd Rainwater - former publisher of Heartland's The Herald Independent five years running - will oversee the regional publishing duties for the three local newspapers as Group Publisher.



Rainwater said he leaves the Fairfield County area with a mix of sadness and an anticipation of the challenges ahead.



"I'm also looking forward to working with the three newspaper staffs to continue to provide the great coverage of their communities that they have always been known for," Rainwater said. "There's a lot of history in Pickens and Anderson counties, and I can't wait to find out about it."



Rainwater is a second-generation publisher and has been in the newspaper business for 30 years.



Former editor Sandy Turner Foster returns to The Pickens Sentinel and her sister papers as general manager.



In 2004 and again in 2007, the SCPA named her S.C. Journalist of the Year; she has won the prestigious Judson Chapman Award, which honors community service, and numerous prizes for writing and reporting.



The Sentinel was her first newspaper home and one she said she is proud to return to.



"This community relates to the Sentinel," she said. "Founded in 1871, "it is the oldest business in Pickens County. I've got a good team here; they're hard-working, and I'm glad to be back with them. We've got strengths and we're going to build on them."



Rainwater said is confident the Sentinel's new general manager will maintain high journalistic standards.



"I've known Sandy for at least five years," he said. "I know she's going to help improve this paper."



The quality of life is a large draw in Pickens County, he said.



"There's so much to do around here," he said. "I've heard a lot about the mountains... state parks (and) the people."



As for work, what you see is what you get, he said.



"I like to work hard, but I also like to have fun," Rainwater said, adding that 'quiet' doesn't necessarily mean 'productive.' "I like people to interact. If you're having fun with what you're doing, you're going to be more productive."



The thing that keeps Rainwater coming back for more at community papers is the ability ,like no other outlet, to bring local news to the readers.



"Everyone thought newspapers were going to go away when radio came around, and we didn't. Then they thought when TV came around that we would go away, and that didn't happen," Rainwater said, "and now the same thing with the internet."



Nationally, newspapers are losing circulation, he said, but that's not so at the local level.



"Community newspapers, such as these three - their communities are turning to them more and more for local news and advertising," Rainwater said.