Los Angeles Examiner

Last updated
Los Angeles Examiner
Los-Angeles-Examiner-20-March-1915.jpg
Cover of Los Angeles Examiner (20 March 1915)
TypeMorning daily newspaper
FormatPrint
Founder(s) William Randolph Hearst
Founded13 December 1903
Merged into Los Angeles Herald-Express in 1962 and continued as Los Angeles Herald Examiner until November 2, 1989
Language English
Los Angeles Examiner building, 1920s Postcard-ca-los-angeles-examiner-building.png
Los Angeles Examiner building, 1920s

The Los Angeles Examiner was a newspaper founded in 1903 by William Randolph Hearst in Los Angeles, California. The afternoon Los Angeles Herald-Express and the morning Los Angeles Examiner, both of which had been publishing in the city since the turn of the 20th century, merged in 1962. For a few years after this merger, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner claimed the largest afternoon-newspaper circulation in the country, publishing its last edition on November 2, 1989. [1]

Contents

Founding

The first edition was issued on Sunday, December 13, 1903, under the business managership of L. C. Strauss, who had managed the New York City office of the San Francisco Examiner, the first Hearst-owned newspaper. It was predicted to be Democratic in politics and to compete with the Republican-supporting Los Angeles Times, another morning newspaper. [2]

The Examiner published a preview edition on Friday, December 11, to announce its platform, but its first regular "mammoth Sunday issue" (84 pages, "profusely illustrated") was dated December 13. [3] "Fireworks, the booming of cannon and shouts of the populace greeted the appearance of the paper." [4]

The Weekly Journal-Miner of Prescott, Arizona, said of the Examiner:

The paper is a typical Hearst publication, a style of journalism which is original with Mr. Hearst and the only one of its kind in the United States and for that matter the world, except for the Phenix Enterprise, which affects the Hearst style. [3]

The Journal-Miner predicted the Examiner would be a pro-labor newspaper as opposed to the rival open-shop Los Angeles Times. [3]

Building

The five-story Los Angeles Examiner Building on South Broadway at 11th Street was designed in a mix of Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles by architect Julia Morgan. [5] The 7,800-square-foot building was the largest structure in the United States devoted solely to the publication of a newspaper. [6]

A train of nine freight cars arrived in Los Angeles on November 19, 1903, loaded with the machinery to print the paper. Five of the cars carried a mammoth Hoe printing press. [6]

In 1918, a set for the motion picture The Empty Cab was a replica of the editorial rooms of the Examiner. [7]

The Sunday Examiner building was displayed prominently in Laurel and Hardy's skyscraper, girder-walking sequence that was part of the silent Hal Roach comedy "Liberty" (1929).

Patriotism controversy

In common with the other Hearst newspapers, the Examiner was opposed to American involvement in World War One and in 1918 attracted opposition and boycotts.

A "large number of editorials attacking the government's war policies," clipped from the Examiner, were seized in a raid by federal agents in a raid on a Santa Barbara school for boys called "Boyland." Five people were arrested and charged with espionage. [8]

An organization called the California Loyal League claimed that the Examiner was "disloyal and a dangerous influence in this city." It included both the French and the British consuls in Los Angeles. [9]

The University Club of Los Angeles and the Sierra Madre Club both banned the Examiner from its reading rooms. [10] Examiner staffers were barred from taking photographs at a French national day celebration at the Shrine Auditorium. They were jeered on their way out of the building. [11]

Staffers manhandled, kidnapped

In 1934 automobile-race driver Al Reinke and driver Babe Stapp were indicted on charges of manhandling and then kidnapping reporter James Lee who went with photographer John Bennus to the funeral of Ernie Triplett, who had been killed in a racing accident in Imperial, California. Lee said five men threatened violence against the newspaper's workers if news photos were taken at the funerals of any race drivers. The newspaper had been campaigning against automobile-racing fatalities. [12] [13]

Reinke was killed in a racing accident before he could be tried. [14]

Merger

In 1962, the morning Examiner merged with the Los Angeles Herald-Express, an afternoon newspaper also owned by the Hearst organization. The Examiner published its last edition on Sunday, January 7. [15] The succeeding newspaper was known as the Los Angeles Herald Examiner.

Notable people

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hearst Communications</span> American multinational mass media conglomerate group

Hearst Communications, Inc., often referred to simply as Hearst, is an American multinational mass media and business information conglomerate based in Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

The Chicago American was an afternoon newspaper published in Chicago, under various names until its dissolution in 1974.

<i>Los Angeles Times</i> American daily newspaper covering the Greater Los Angeles area

The Los Angeles Times, abbreviated as LA Times, is a daily regional newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the Los Angeles County city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States, as well as the largest newspaper in the western United States. The publication has won more than 40 Pulitzer Prizes. It is owned by Patrick Soon-Shiong and published by the Times Mirror Company. The newspaper's coverage has evolved more recently away from U.S. and international headlines and toward emphasizing California and especially Southern California stories.

<i>San Francisco Chronicle</i> American daily newspaper

The San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The paper is owned by the Hearst Corporation, which bought it from the de Young family in 2000. It is the only major daily paper covering the city and county of San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louella Parsons</span> American gossip columnist and screenwriter (1881–1972)

Louella Parsons was an American movie columnist and a screenwriter. She was retained by William Randolph Hearst because she had championed Hearst's mistress Marion Davies and subsequently became an influential figure in Hollywood. At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 700 newspapers worldwide.

<i>Los Angeles Herald Examiner</i> American newspaper in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Herald Examiner was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published in the afternoon from Monday to Friday and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. It was formed when the afternoon Herald-Express and the morning Los Angeles Examiner, both of which were published there since the turn of the 20th century, merged in 1962.

<i>New York Journal-American</i> Newspaper published in New York from 1937 to 1966

The New York Journal-American was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 to 1966. The Journal-American was the product of a merger between two New York newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst: The New York American, a morning paper, and the New York Evening Journal, an afternoon paper. Both were published by Hearst from 1895 to 1937. The American and Evening Journal merged in 1937.

<i>Baltimore News-American</i> Defunct daily newspaper in Maryland, US

The Baltimore News-American was a broadsheet newspaper published in downtown Baltimore, Maryland until May 27, 1986. It had a continuous lineage of more than 200 years. For much of the mid-20th century, it had the largest circulation in the city.

<i>Los Angeles Herald</i> American newspaper (1873–1931)

The Los Angeles Herald or the Evening Herald was a newspaper published in Los Angeles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1873 by Charles A. Storke, the newspaper was acquired by William Randolph Hearst in 1931. It merged with the Los Angeles Express and became an evening newspaper known as the Los Angeles Herald-Express. A 1962 combination with Hearst's morning Los Angeles Examiner resulted in its final incarnation as the evening Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.

<i>Los Angeles Herald-Express</i>

The Los Angeles Herald-Express was one of Los Angeles' oldest newspapers, formed after a combination of the Los Angeles Herald and the Los Angeles Express. After a 1962 combination with Hearst Corporation's Los Angeles Examiner, the paper became the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner folding on November 2, 1989.

<i>Yuma Sun</i> Newspaper in Yuma, Arizona

The Yuma Sun is a newspaper in Yuma, Arizona, United States.

The San Francisco Examiner is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863.

<i>Los Angeles Express</i> (newspaper)

The Los Angeles Express was a newspaper published in Los Angeles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1871, the newspaper was acquired by William Randolph Hearst in 1931. It merged with the Los Angeles Herald and became an evening newspaper known as the Los Angeles Herald-Express. A 1962 combination with Hearst's morning Los Angeles Examiner resulted in its final incarnation as the evening Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.

<i>Illustrated Daily News</i> 20th-century Los Angeles newspaper

The Daily News was a newspaper published in Los Angeles from 1923 to 1954. It was founded in 1923 by Cornelius Vanderbilt IV and bought by Manchester Boddy who operated it through most of its existence.

The 1929 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona as an independent during the 1929 college football season. In their fifteenth season under head coach Pop McKale, the Wildcats compiled a 7–1 record and outscored their opponents 182 to 22, with six shutouts. The team captain was Wendell P. Acuff.

Community newspapers in Hollywood, California, have included the Hollywood Sentinel, Hollywood Inquirer (unknown-1914), Hollywood Citizen (1905–1931), Hollywood News, (unknown-1931), and Hollywood Citizen-News (1931–1970).

<i>Arizona Miner</i> Former newspaper published in Prescott, Arizona

Arizona Miner was a newspaper published in Prescott, Arizona Territory, from 1868 to 1885 and circulated throughout Yavapai County. The paper merged with the Arizona Weekly Journal in 1885 to create the Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner, which was published until 1934. It underwent a succession of owners and changes in its publishing frequency as well as its political leanings.

References

  1. Judy Pasternak and Thomas B. Rosenstiel, "Herald Examiner Will Halt Publishing Today", Los Angeles Times, November 2, 1989
  2. "Press Notes of Interest," Buffalo (New York) Evening News, November 24, 1903, image 9
  3. 1 2 3 "Los Angeles Examiner," Weekly Journal-Miner, Prescott, Arizona, December 16, 1903, page 4]
  4. "Press Notes of Interest," Buffalo Evening News, New York, December 21, image 19
  5. Roger Vincent, "Arizona State to Expand Into Downtown L.A. at Historic Herald Examiner Building," August 21, 2018
  6. 1 2 "Telegraphic Sparks", Weekly Journal-Miner, Prescott, Arizona, November 25, 1903, page 1, column 7
  7. "At the Movie Houses," The Daily Chronicle, De Kalb, Illinois, November 30, 1918, page 5
  8. "Hearst Editorials Figure in a Raid," New-York Tribune, April 11, 1918, page 8
  9. "Los Angeles Examiner Is Charged With Disloyalty," Eugene (Oregon) Daily Guard, June 8, 1918, Page 2
  10. "Los Angeles Club Bars Hearst Paper From Its Rooms," New York Tribune, June 12, 1918, page 14
  11. "Los Angeles Bars Hearst Agents at French Celebration," New York Tribune, July 16, 1918, page 14
  12. Associated Press, "3 Who Prevented Photo Face Chair on Kidnap Charge," New York Daily News, March 10, 1934, image 72]
  13. Associated Press, "Two Racing Drivers Held for Kidnaping," The Decatur (Illinois) Review, March 20, 1934, image 13
  14. "Kidnap Case Stunt Driver Killed in Race Trial Crash," New York Daily News, April 12, 1934, image 78
  15. "Cutback Leaves 2 Newspapers in Los Angeles," Springfield (Ohio) Daily News, January 6, 1962, page 1
  16. "Elliot Roosevelt Is Aviation Editor," New York Daily News, August 27, 1933, image 296