Chinook Observer

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Chinook Observer
Type Weekly newspaper
Owner(s) EO Media Group
Founder(s)George Hibbert
Frank Gaither
PublisherMatt Winters
Founded1900
Headquarters205 Bolstad Avenue E. Suite 2 Long Beach, WA 98631
Circulation 3,810 Print
852 Digital(as of 2023) [1]
ISSN 0739-9200
Website chinookobserver.com

The Chinook Observer is a weekly newspaper serving the Long Beach Peninsula of Washington state. As of about 2013 the paper claimed a circulation of 6,700, making it one of Washington's larger weekly newspapers. [2] The original Linotype machine, a Mergenthaler, was taken out of service in the 1970s and is on loan to the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco. [3]

Contents

History

In 1900, George Hibbert and Frank Gaither published the first edition of The Observer in Chinook, Washington. [4] The press came from the defunct Tribune in La Conner. [4] Early on Gaither left and was replaced by Charles A. Payne, who worked with Hibbert for nearly a dozen years. In 1912, Payne bought out Hibbert due to a disagreement. [5]

Elton C. Durkee published the paper for about seven years until his sudden death in 1927. [6] [7] His son and daughter-in-law John and Margaret Durkee then took over the paper. In 1937, the couple sold it to John M. Stone [8] That same year James M. O'Neil became the owner. At that time circulation was 325. [9] In 1938, he relocated the Observer to Long Beach as the population of Chinook had drastically dropped in recent years since trap fishing was outlawed. [10]

Chinook Observer staff, July 4, 1903, taken at the newspaper's first office Chinook Observer staff July 4, 1903, taken at the newspaper's first office.jpg
Chinook Observer staff, July 4, 1903, taken at the newspaper's first office

In 1964, O'Neil turned the paper over to his son Wayne O'Neil. [9] Circulation then was around 2,000. [9] He and his wife operated the Observer for the next 20 years. [2] In 1984, the paper was purchased by Craig and Geri Dennis, [11] who sold it in 1988 to the East Oregonian Publishing Company, [12] which later was renamed to EO Media Group. After the sale, printing was moved to The Daily Astorian . [13] [14] Matt Winters became the paper's editor in 1991. [15]

Chinook Observer office, 1905 Chinook Observer office 1905.jpg
Chinook Observer office, 1905

In April 2024, the newspaper's office was sold. All staff have since worked remotely from their homes. [16] In October 2024, EO Media Group was sold to Carpenter Media Group. [17]

References

  1. ↑ "EO Media Group Publishing Map". EO Media Group LLC. March 6, 2023. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Bagwell, Steve; Stapilus, Randy (2013). New Editions: The Northwest's newspapers as they were, are, and will be. Carlton, Oregon: Ridenbaugh Press. p. 226. ISBN   978-0-945648-10-9. OCLC   861618089.
  3. ↑ "Pieces of our Past - The original Observer linotype printing machine". chinookobserver.com. February 21, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Newspaper for Chinook". The Tacoma Daily Ledger. December 21, 1900. p. 8.
  5. ↑ "Editors Cannot Agree | C. A. Payne Buys George Hibbert's interest in Chinook Observer". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. July 26, 1912. p. 11.
  6. ↑ "Editor Passes". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. October 3, 1927. p. 12.
  7. ↑ "E. C. Durkee, Editor". Chinook Observer. Associated Press. October 3, 1927. p. 2.
  8. ↑ "Chinook Observer Sold To Stone; Paper Started In 1900; Earliest Files Have Interesting History". The Daily Astorian. January 12, 1937. p. 6.
  9. 1 2 3 Spiro, Richard (March 30, 1968). "Columbia River County Personalities". Longview Daily News. p. 17.
  10. ↑ "Chinook Observer Taken to Long Beach". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington. Associated Press. March 2, 193. p. 2.
  11. ↑ Kever, Jeannie (August 11, 1984). "New owners | Couple take over peninsula newspaper". Longview Daily News. p. 3.
  12. ↑ "Chinook Observer has new owner". Longview Daily News. February 20, 1988. p. 1988.
  13. ↑ "New chief operating officer takes over at EOPC". Wallowa County Chieftain. June 2, 2005.
  14. ↑ "The Chinook Observer has more than a century of service". The Chinook Observer. July 13, 2003. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  15. ↑ Winters, Matt (July 28, 2011). "Editor's Notebook: Twenty years ago, I became editor of a rural newspaper". The Astorian. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  16. ↑ "The Astorian building is for sale, but newspaper operations are not". The Astorian. November 29, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  17. ↑ Rogoway, Mike (October 23, 2024). "Oregon newspaper chain EO Media sells itself to Mississippi company". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
Bob Duke drone photo of downtown Long Beach, WA Bob Duke drone photo of downtown Long Beach WA.jpg
Bob Duke drone photo of downtown Long Beach, WA
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