Columbus Telegram

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The Columbus Telegram
Columbus Telegram machines.JPG
Columbus Telegram vending machines
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s) Lee Enterprises
Founder(s)W. N. Hensley
PublisherCarrie Colburn
EditorMonica Garcia
FoundedFebruary 28, 1874 (1874-02-28), as the Columbus Era
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters1254 27th Avenue
Columbus, Nebraska 68601
United States
Circulation 3,068 Daily(as of 2023) [1]
OCLC number 1002004395
Website columbustelegram.com

The Columbus Telegram is a newspaper owned by Lee Enterprises and published in Columbus, in the east-central part of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. It is delivered on Tuesday through Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning. [2]

Contents

History

19th century

On February 28, 1874, W. N. Hensley founded the Columbus Era. [3] [4] At that time, Columbus had two newspapers, the Journal and the Republican, both Republican in policy. Hensley, a young lawyer, was working for Dr. George Miller, publisher of the Omaha Herald and a leader in the Democratic Party, who advised him to start a Democratic newspaper in Columbus. [5]

The Era briefly ceased publication in November 1880; on April 9, 1881, it reappeared as the Columbus Democrat, managed by A. B. Coffroth and J. K. Coffroth. [4] In 1892, the name was changed to the Telegram. [6] In the early 1890s, D. Frank Davis attempted to publish the newspaper as a daily; however, Columbus was not large enough to support this, and the paper resumed weekly publication. [5]

Edgar Howard

In 1900, Edgar Howard bought the Telegram from J. L. Paschal, who had been elected state senator. [7] A lawyer and newspaperman, Howard was a strong Democrat. In 1883, he had purchased the Papillion Times in Papillion, Nebraska; in 1887, he had left the Times to go to Benkelman in southwestern Nebraska, where he founded the Dundy Democrat. In 1890, he had returned to Papillion and bought back the Times. [8] He had served a few months as William Jennings Bryan's private secretary in 1891; [9] in 1894, he was elected to a term in the Nebraska House of Representatives representing Sarpy County; [9] [10] in 1896, he had resigned this seat to become probate judge of Sarpy County. [8] In 1900, he made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in Congress. In that same year, he sold the Times, moved to Columbus, and purchased the Telegram. [9] He remained its editor for over fifty years. [7]

In 1901, Howard incorporated the newspaper as the Telegram Company. In 1912, Zela H. Loomis, who had worked as a reporter and day editor for two Fremont, Nebraska newspapers, [11] became managing editor and city editor of the Telegram; in the following year, he became vice-president of the company. [12]

In 1922, the Telegram Company bought out the Columbus Daily News and ended publication of that title; the Telegram went from weekly to daily publication as the Columbus Daily Telegram. [5] In that year, Howard was elected to the United States House of Representatives. [10] He sold most of his stock to his associates in the company; however, at their request, he retained enough to allow him to remain president of the company and editor of the paper for the rest of his life. [7] Howard was re-elected to the House five times, serving from 1923 to 1935. In 1934, he lost the seat to Karl Stefan. [10]

After Howard

In 1940, Zela Loomis acquired a controlling interest in the Telegram Company and became editor-publisher of the newspaper. [12] After Howard's death in 1951, Loomis's name appeared at the top of the masthead as editor. [13] Zela Loomis died in 1957, [12] whereupon his widow Svea Loomis became president and associate editor, [14] and their son Laird Loomis general manager. [15]

In 1969, the Loomis family sold the newspaper to Freedom Newspapers, Inc. [16] [17] Shortly after the transaction, the "Daily" was removed from the name, leaving it the Columbus Telegram. [18] [19] In 1974, the newspaper made the conversion from letterpress to offset printing. [15]

The Omaha World-Herald Company bought the Telegram from Freedom Newspapers in September 1989. [20] At the same time, the World-Herald bought the Pawnee Scout shopper, which they merged with the Telegram. [15]

In 1998, the World-Herald sold the Telegram to Independent Media Group, Inc. (IMG). At the time of the sale, the paper's circulation was reported as 11,500. [21] IMG was sold to Lee Enterprises and to Liberty Group Publishing in 2000; [22] Lee acquired the Telegram, [23] whose circulation was again reported as 11,500; the circulation of the Scout Shopper was given as 13,000. [24]

The Telegram today

The publisher of the Telegram is Carrie Colburn, who also publishes the daily York News-Times and the weekly David City Banner-Press and Schuyler Sun. Colburn was appointed to the position in 2021. [25] The editor is Monica Garcia. [26]

The market area for the newspaper consists of 24,000 households in seven counties in east central Nebraska: Boone, Butler, Colfax, Merrick, Nance, Platte, and Polk. A weekly supplement, the Telegram Advantage, is delivered to both subscribers and non-subscribers. [2]

References

  1. ↑ Lee Enterprises. "Form 10-K". investors.lee.net. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "About the Columbus Telegram". Columbus Telegram website. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  3. ↑ "About Columbus era. [volume] (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1880". Library of Congress. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Cutler, William (1882). "Platte County: The Press". Andreas's History of the State of Nebraska. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  5. 1 2 3 Curry, Margaret (1950a). "The Press". The History of Platte County, Nebraska. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  6. ↑ Evans, Marion Reeder (1936). "80 Years of Progress" in 80 Years of Progress: Columbus, Nebraska 1856-1936. Published by The Art Printery at Columbus's 80th anniversary. p. 14.
  7. 1 2 3 "Edgar Howard, One of State's Most Colorful Citizens, Dies". Columbus Daily Telegram. 1951-07-19. p. 1.
  8. 1 2 "Edgar Howard, 1858-1951". [usurped] Nebraska State Historical Society. [usurped] Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  9. 1 2 3 "Howard, Edgar". [usurped] Nebraska State Historical Society. [usurped] Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  10. 1 2 3 "Howard, Edgar (1858-1951)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  11. ↑ Curry, Margaret (1950c). "Zela Hadley Loomis". The History of Platte County, Nebraska. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  12. 1 2 3 "Zela H. Loomis, editor, publisher of Telegram dies; rites Wednesday". Columbus Daily Telegram. 1957-03-18. p. 1.
  13. ↑ Masthead. Columbus Daily Telegram. 1957-03-18.
  14. ↑ "Former Telegram publisher dead at 84, funeral Saturday". Columbus Telegram. 1976-09-09.
  15. 1 2 3 O'Brien, Irene (1992). "Keep us in Touch on Paper and Airwaves". Columbus 1992: A Snapshot. p. 87.
  16. ↑ Blum, Julie. "Former Telegram manager Laird Loomis dies at age 83". Columbus Telegram. 2005-06-15. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  17. ↑ "Freedom Newspapers, Inc. buys Telegram Company; management remains local". Columbus Daily Telegram. 1969-11-01.
  18. ↑ Nameplate. Columbus Daily Telegram. 1969-11-12.
  19. ↑ Nameplate. Columbus Telegram. 1969-11-13.
  20. ↑ "2 Freedom Papers Sold in Midwest". Los Angeles Times. 1989-08-23. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  21. ↑ "Nebraska daily sold". Editor & Publisher. 1998-10-03. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  22. ↑ "Management Buyout Leads to New Company". Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine Dirks, Van Essen & Murray. 2004-01-01. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
  23. ↑ "Lee newspaper legacy reaches back to 1890" Archived 2012-08-04 at archive.today . Lee Enterprises. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  24. ↑ "Lee will buy 18 publications in Nebraska and Wisconsin". Lee Enterprises. 2000-04-07. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  25. ↑ STAFF, SUN. "Colburn named publisher of Schuyler Sun". Columbus Telegram. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  26. ↑ Telegram, MONICA GARCIA The Columbus. "Hello, Columbus!". Columbus Telegram. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
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