The Daily News sells building to Fibre Federal

LONGVIEW — After more than 50 years on the corner of Douglas Street and 11th Avenue, The Daily News has sold its building to Fibre Federal Credit Union.

Editorial, advertising and circulation staff will remain in the building through the beginning of August, then move to another Longview location that has yet to be announced.

The Daily News published its first issue on Jan. 27, 1923.

The paper outgrew its original building at 12th Avenue and Broadway — where CORE Health is located today — and moved to its current location at 770 11th Ave. in the early 1970s.

At its height, the newsroom had about 35 employees, including 10 to 12 news reporters, retired Managing Editor Bob Gaston said. The paper currently has 11 newsroom employees, including three covering sports.

The roughly 45,700-square-foot building on 3 acres was built in 1969 and sold by Lee Enterprises — owner of The Daily News — to Fibre Federal earlier this month.

Fibre plans to renovate the building by next year.

The Longview-based credit union reports in a news release it plans to house its contact center employees at the building. The center’s staff are housed in different spots in the company’s finance service center a few blocks west.

The new space will house the 28 virtual representatives who staff the company’s interactive teller machines in 11 counties. The machines connect members to virtual tellers, who are local staff members that assist customers in real time.