Bay State Banner

Last updated
Bay State Banner
Bay State Banner logo.jpg
Type Weekly newspaper
Format Tabloid
Owner(s)Ron Mitchell & André Stark
Founder(s)Melvin B. Miller
PublisherRon Mitchell
EditorRon Mitchell
COO André Stark
Founded1965;59 years ago (1965)
Headquarters Dorchester, Boston
Circulation 27,400(as of 2023) [1]
ISSN 1946-6730
OCLC number 6749070
Website www.baystatebanner.com
Free online archives https://npaper-wehaa.com/baystatebanner/cs2 (since November 16, 2017)

The Bay State Banner is a weekly newspaper primarily geared toward the readership interests of the African-American community in Boston, Massachusetts. [2] Distributed free of charge, it was founded in 1965 by Melvin B. Miller, who remained the chief editor and publisher until March 2023. In 2015, the publication celebrated its 50th anniversary serving the region's minority-oriented neighborhoods.

Contents

Notable journalists who have worked at the Bay State Banner include PBS host Gwen Ifill and NPR commentator Robin Washington. [3] Bryant Rollins, a former reporter for The Boston Globe and a community activist and author, served as the Banner's first editor. [4]

History

The Bay State Banner was started in 1965 by Melvin B. Miller, who served as the publication's chief editor and publisher, with the help of his brother Jack Miller. A native of Boston, Miller graduated from Boston Latin School, Harvard University, and Columbia Law School, and received Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degrees from Suffolk University and Emerson College. [5]

The Bay State Banner’s first issue, on September 25, 1965, ran with a headline reading "What’s Wrong With Our Schools?" next to photographs of the Gibson School in Dorchester, which had an all-black student population, and the newly opened Henry Grew School in predominantly white Hyde Park. [6]

Miller stated that he considered the Banner to be a successor to the Boston Guardian , a local newspaper founded in 1901 that aimed to represent black Bostonians until its closure in the 1950s, in that the Banner offered coverage of issues that affect the diverse community that lives in Boston, rather than those who commute in or visit. [7] [8] Inspired by the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 just one year prior, Miller opened the Banner in an effort to empower black voices, and combat media representation of black Bostonians as "losers" (Miller quipped that Boston is a "city of winners", regardless of race). [9] Miller hoped to expose what he viewed as Boston's unique form of racism, and subvert the control white Irish Catholics held over both the city and the media at the time. [9] The paper went on to cover the Boston desegregation busing crisis, and the actions taken by the NAACP’s Ruth Batson. [10] The Banner has been cited as a precursor to Stokely Carmichael’s work. [10]

From its inception, the Banner has covered and supported local community efforts in Roxbury and its surrounding neighborhoods, including Operation Head Start and Action for Boston Community Development. Miller sought to differentiate the paper from other "black papers" of the time by covering important and controversial stories, and taking strong stances on them. [7]

Miller frequently cited his wife, Sandra Casagrand, as an important business partner who helped him navigate the paper through the "roughest seas". [11]

1966 hiatus

In April 1966, less than a year after the Banner was founded, it went out of business for four weeks due to a lack of advertising revenue, the headline read "Banner Being Forced Out Of Business". [4] Almost immediately after the paper folded, community residents formed a Committee to Save the Banner, which put pressure on local businesses to advertise in order to support the paper. Four weeks later the Banner was back on the stands. [12]

2009 hiatus

The Banner suspended publication on July 9, 2009, laying off its staff of 12. [3] In the last edition of the paper before this suspension, Miller summarized that he was looking for investors in order to resume publication, but that the Banner's free-distribution of 30,000 copies was not sustainable in the face of falling ad revenue. [13] Harvard University law professor Charles Ogletree started lining up investors to save the Banner [14] but the publication ended up accepting a $200,000 bailout loan by then-Mayor of Boston Thomas Menino from the Boston Local Development Corp., a nonprofit administered by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). Miller said the loan would help the paper survive while it arranged a new business plan with Next Street Financial LLC, a financial services company. Boston Local Development, the nonprofit arranging the loan, made similar loans to local businesses, including a coffee shop and bicycle company. [13] Menino had been running for reelection at the time and had often been criticized by the Banner, which at one point suggested in an editorial that he step down from office. Menino said he was not trying to influence the paper with the loan offer, but wanted to "help a business that is very important to the minority community." [13]

2013 loan audit and controversy

On January 12, 2014, following Menino's end of term, The Boston Globe published an article publicizing Miller's personal financial records, along with the financial situation of the Banner. The article questioned the necessity of the bailout five years prior. The same week, the Banner accused the Globe of defamation in an open letter, claiming bias in their coverage of the Banner's current financial situation, which claimed that the paper remained more than $200,000 in debt following the near closure in 2009, losing nearly $400,000 between 2009 and 2012, with ad revenue dropping 17 percent in three years. [15] This coverage followed an audit launched by the Boston Finance Commission into the BRA-associated loan. The BRA defended the loan, standing by Menino's argument that the loan was important to save a business that was "very important to the minority community". [16]

2018 "Boston Revisited" showcase

In 2018, the Banner was the subject of an exhibition at the Howard Gotlieb Memorial Gallery at Boston University's Mugar Memorial Library entitled "Boston Revisited: 50 Years of the Bay State Banner". The exhibit featured a photographic history of Boston's black community through photography from the Banner archives, including examples of Boston's news, politics, editorials, arts, sports, education and business from the last half century. [17] This showcase accompanied a book entitled Boston’s Banner Years: 1965–2015: A Saga of Black Success, produced by Miller and the writers of the Banner. [17] [18]

2023 sale

On March 1, 2023, the Banner announced the sale of the publication from Miller, then aged 88, to Ron Mitchell, a former videojournalist at WBZ-TV, and André Stark, a filmmaker. [19] [1] Mitchell was announced as publisher and editor, and Stark as chief operating officer. [20] Also announced was an expanded coverage area for the Banner, with four editions: Boston, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and northern New England. [1]

Format

The Banner's initial format was a 10-page broadsheet, switching to a tabloid in 1968. In 2005, the paper's staff of 20 produced issues up to 40 pages long, distributed on Thursdays. [12]

The Banner is also available online, and the publication's physical archives reportedly contain "about 36 boxes of Bay State material" consisting of more than 60,000 photographs. [17]

Related Research Articles

<i>Boston Herald</i> US newspaper

The Boston Herald is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulitzer Prizes in its history, including four for editorial writing and three for photography before it was converted to tabloid format in 1981. The Herald was named one of the "10 Newspapers That 'Do It Right'" in 2012 by Editor & Publisher.

<i>The Boston Globe</i> American daily newspaper

The Boston Globe, also known locally as the Globe, is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes.

<i>The Globe and Mail</i> English-language newspaper in Canada

The Globe and Mail is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it falls slightly behind the Toronto Star in overall weekly circulation because the Star publishes a Sunday edition, whereas the Globe does not. The Globe and Mail is regarded by some as Canada's "newspaper of record".

<i>The Phoenix</i> (newspaper) Former American alternative weekly periodical

The Phoenix was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Boston Phoenix, Providence Phoenix and Worcester Phoenix. These publications emphasized local arts and entertainment coverage as well as lifestyle and political coverage. The Portland Phoenix, which was published until 2023, is now owned by another company, New Portland Publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayor of Boston</span> Head of municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts, United States

The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan, and elect a mayor to a four-year term; there are no term limits. The mayor's office is in Boston City Hall, in Government Center.

Black Press Group Ltd. (BPG) is a Canadian commercial printer and newspaper publisher founded in 1975 by David Holmes Black, who has no relation to Canadian-born media mogul Conrad Black. Based in Surrey, British Columbia, it was previously owned by the publisher of Toronto Star and Black (80.65%).

<i>The Sudbury Star</i> Daily regional newspaper in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

The Sudbury Star is a Canadian daily regional newspaper published in Sudbury, Ontario. It is owned by the media company, Postmedia. It is the largest daily paper in Northeastern Ontario by circulation.

<i>The Flint Journal</i> American newspaper

The Flint Journal is a quad-weekly newspaper based in Flint, Michigan, owned by Booth Newspapers, a subsidiary of Advance Publications. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, it serves Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee Counties. As of February 2, 2012, it is headquartered in Downtown Flint at 540 S Saginaw St, Suite 504. The paper and its sister publications The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times are printed at the Booth-owned Valley Publishing Co. printing plant in Monitor Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Menino</span> American politician and mayor (1942–2014)

Thomas Michael Menino was an American politician who served as the mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three months in the position of "acting mayor" following the resignation of his predecessor Raymond Flynn. Before serving as mayor, Menino was a member of the Boston City Council and had been elected president of the City Council in 1993.

The Brattleboro Reformer is the third-largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Vermont. With a weekday circulation of just over 10,000, it is behind the Burlington Free Press and the Rutland Herald, respectively. It publishes six days a week, Monday through Saturday, with its Weekend Reformer having the largest readership; the offices of the paper are in Brattleboro, Vermont, and it has a market penetration of 62.8 in its home zip code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel King</span> American politician (1928–2023)

Melvin Herbert King was an American politician, community organizer, and educator. In 1973, King was elected as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives' 9th Suffolk district, a post he held until early 1983. King was the runner-up in the 1983 Boston mayoral election, against Raymond Flynn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston City Council</span> Municipal council of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no limit on the number of terms an individual can serve. Boston uses a strong-mayor form of government in which the city council acts as a check against the power of the executive branch, the mayor. The council is responsible for approving the city budget; monitoring, creating, and abolishing city agencies; making land use decisions; and approving, amending, or rejecting other legislative proposals.

<i>The Berkshire Eagle</i> Newspaper in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US

The Berkshire Eagle is an American daily newspaper published in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and covering all of Berkshire County, as well as four New York communities near Pittsfield. It is considered a newspaper of record for Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

Dan Pulcrano is a journalist, editor, publisher and newspaper group owner in Northern California. He is CEO and executive editor of Metro Silicon Valley, Silicon Valley's alternative newsweekly, as well as its sister publications around the Bay Area; Good Times, the North Bay Bohemian and the Pacific Sun and East Bay Express. The group also publishes ten community newspapers, as well as magazines and related digital titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Boston mayoral election</span> Election

The 2009 Boston mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 3, 2009, between incumbent Mayor of Boston Thomas Menino, and Michael F. Flaherty, member of the Boston City Council and former Council president. Menino was re-elected to a fifth term, the first mayor to do so in Boston history. A nonpartisan municipal preliminary election was held on September 22, 2009, where Flaherty and Menino advanced to the general election.

The Boston Courant was a weekly newspaper in Boston, whose coverage focused on issues of local interest to the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Downtown, Fenway, South End, and Waterfront neighborhoods. It had a circulation of over 40,000. The Boston Courant announced its closure in February 2016 after losing a wrongful termination lawsuit. In April 2016, the former publisher debuted the Boston Guardian, with similar editorial content and neighborhood coverage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Boston mayoral election</span> Election

The 2013 Boston mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. Incumbent mayor Thomas Menino had declined to run for re-election to a sixth term. A non-partisan preliminary election was held on Tuesday, September 24, 2013. 12 candidates made the ballot to replace Menino, with state representative Marty Walsh and at-large city councilor John R. Connolly advancing to the general election. Walsh was elected to his first term, defeating Connolly by 3% of the vote, and was inaugurated on Monday, January 6, 2014.

Bay Windows is an LGBT newspaper, published weekly on Thursdays and Fridays in Boston, Massachusetts, serving the entire New England region of the United States. The paper is a member of the New England Press Association and the National Gay Newspaper Guild.

Sarah-Ann Shaw was an American journalist and television reporter with WBZ-TV from 1969 to 2000. She was best known as the first female African-American reporter to be televised in Boston. Shaw was also known for her presence in civil rights movements and as a volunteer in education programs. Her recognition was widespread, including awards from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Rosie's Place, the Museum of Afro-American History, and Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD).

The Middletown Press is a daily newspaper based in Middletown, Connecticut that is the main newspaper of Middletown and its surrounding area in Middlesex County, Connecticut.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Woodard, Tiana (March 3, 2023). "With new ownership comes new beginnings for Bay State Banner" . The Boston Globe . Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ Danky, James Philip; Hady, Maureen E. (1998). African-American newspapers and periodicals : a national bibliography. Mark Graham. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press. p. 62. ISBN   978-0-674-00788-8.
  3. 1 2 "Boston Black Weekly, 'Bay State Banner,' Suspends Publication". Editor & Publisher . July 7, 2009.
  4. 1 2 McBride, James (November 22, 1981). "The Bay State Banner: The paper and the publisher". The Boston Globe . p. A1. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Melvin B. Miller". baystatebanner.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017 – via Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ Wright O'Conner, Brian. "Banner Has Recorded 50 Years of History", Bay State Banner, February 4, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Kline, Marcia B. (May 24, 1966). "Bay State Banner". The Harvard Crimson . Retrieved March 4, 2023– via thecrimson.com.
  8. ↑ Strain, Tracy H. and Maclowry, Randall. "Neighborhood Matters: The Bay State Banner: Unity, Progress and 50 Years of Advocating Change [film]." The Film Posse, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Brooks, Anthony, & Miller, Melvin B. “Boston's Black History As Seen Through The Bay State Banner [recording].” WBUR , 15 February 2019.
  10. 1 2 Swerdlow, "Oral History of the Bay State Banner". The Miller Center Foundation and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, 2016.
  11. ↑ Forry, Bill. "Long Live the Bay State Banner", Dorchester Reporter, November 11, 2015.
  12. 1 2 Samuels, Adrienne P. (October 29, 2005). "Raising a Banner celebration: Forty years ago, a black journalist answered the call". The Boston Globe . p. B1. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 3 "Boston City Loan Will Keep 'Bay State Banner' Flying". Editor & Publisher . July 20, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via The Free Library.
  14. ↑ "The Banner's questionable loan". Editorial. The Boston Globe . July 21, 2009. p. A12. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Mason, Edward (January 12, 2014). "The Banner's bailout". The Boston Globe . p. G1. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Mason, Edward (January 24, 2014). "Bay State Banner hits Globe in front-page retort". The Boston Globe . p. B7. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 3 Angel, Kim (September 27, 2018). "'50 Years of the Bay State Banner' exhibit opens, shows Boston's black community history". The Daily Free Press .
  18. ↑ Miller, Melvin B. (December 6, 2018). "'Boston's Banner Years' sets the record straight on 50 years of local black history". Bay State Banner. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via npaper-wehaa.com.
  19. ↑ O’Connor, Brian Wright (March 1, 2023). "Passing of the torch: Banner changes hands". baystatebanner.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  20. ↑ Gerber, Dana (March 1, 2023). "After nearly six decades, Boston's Black-owned paper passes to new owners" . The Boston Globe . Retrieved March 4, 2023.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.