I'm excited about serving readers of The Transcript

Tim Epperson, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
·3 min read

Mar. 7—As I was driving here from Oregon, I was eagerly awaiting to see the sign that said "Welcome to Norman."

To be honest, I don't remember if I saw a sign. I think I was too busy looking at the beautiful Oklahoma topography.

After a lifetime of searching for the perfect leadership opportunity, I feel like I may have just found it here in Norman, and I couldn't be more excited.

As the new editor of The Transcript, I have made it home.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tim Epperson, and I am a lifetime journalist. For close to three decades, I have worked at newspapers in California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Oregon.

I'm originally from Bakersfield, California, and I graduated in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in journalism from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. I have worked in a number of markets as a print and digital editor, including 10 years as assistant news editor at the Los Angeles Daily News.

A colleague of mine told me about the open editor position at The Transcript, and I seized the opportunity. I knew a little about Norman, since my father was born and raised in Clinton and he was a die-hard fan of Sooners football.

A quick online search showed Norman as a lovely, bucolic college town, so I looked no further. After talking with CNHI Director of Newsroom Training and Development and Transcript Publisher Mark Millsap, I knew Norman is where I wanted to be.

My first week here was what I had hoped. I saw a group of hard-charging journalists who really care about the quality of news they provide to our readers, and they care about this newspaper and this community.

I'm looking forward to this new opportunity. While there's still much more for me to learn about The Transcript, Norman and Cleveland County, in this new position, I will be able to utilize the knowledge I've formed as an editor in a variety of markets across the country.

My job here at The Transcript is simple: I am here to continue the excellence of our news product, while making improvements on how we report the news to you.

While I have decades of experience reporting, editing and leading newspapers, I can't do everything on my own. I'm counting on our readers to tell me where we need to improve.

On occasion, I will write a column and share with you what we are doing at The Transcript. I will talk about changes we are making and will ask you for advice and help.

In my journalism career, I have seen and written about just about everything, but what I don't know is what's important to you.

As I begin my work at The Transcript, I want to know what you, the readers and residents of Norman and Cleveland County, want to see and what do we need to improve on? What stories do you want to see? What groups, clubs, schools would you like us to focus on?

At a community newspaper, our job is to serve you, the readers. Send me an email at tepperson@normantranscript.com and let me know what you would like to see in the paper.

Thank you Norman for welcoming me to your lovely city.