 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | EO Media Group |
| Founder(s) | Max Lueddemann |
| Publisher | Heidi Wright |
| Founded | 1903 as the Bend Bulletin |
| Headquarters | Bend, Oregon, U.S. |
| Circulation | 9,983 Print 3,762 Digital(as of 2023) [1] |
| Sister newspapers | Baker City Herald , The Observer , The Redmond Spokesman , East Oregonian , The Astorian |
| OCLC number | 137350069 |
| Website | bendbulletin |
The Bulletin is a newspaper in Bend, Oregon, United States. The Bulletin is owned by EO Media Group.
To start a newspaper in Bend, a printing press and other publishing equipment items were brought overland from the railhead at Shaniko by freight wagon. The Bend Bulletin was first published as a weekly newspaper on March 27, 1903. At the time, Bend was a mere hamlet in what was then part of Crook County. [2] The newspaper was founded by Max Lueddemann, who at the time operated the Antelope Herald in Antelope. [3] He served as the newspaper's first publisher with Don P. Rea serving as the first editor. When it began, the newspaper's only other employee was a printer named A. H. Kennedy. The newspaper office was located in a rustic cabin on the east bank of the Deschutes River. [4] [5] In the summer of 1904, the newspaper was sold to J. M. Lawrence. He moved the newspaper to an office building in downtown Bend. [4] [6] In that year it consolidated with the Deschutes Echo, which had been launched in 1902 in the neighboring hamlet of Deschutes (now part of the city of Bend). [2]
In 1910, George P. Putnam bought the Bend Bulletin from Lawrence. While he was the newspaper's editor for only four years, Putnam continued as publisher for several more years. During his tenure, Putnam was active in local and state politics and the newspaper began promoting Central Oregon outside the local area. In 1916, Deschutes County was carved out of Crook County; a campaign led by the Bulletin was at least partially responsible. [2] On December 6, 1916, the paper switched from daily to weekly publication. [4] [5]
Robert W. Sawyer purchased Putnam's interest in the newspaper in 1919. He hired Henry Fowler, who owned a minority share in the newspaper, as editor. Sawyer was a conservationist, who used his influence as a newspaper publisher to help preserve Oregon's natural resources. In addition to publishing the Bend Bulletin, he served as president of the National Reclamation Association, a director of the American Forestry Association, and a member of the Oregon Highway Commission. He also championed the establishment of numerous state parks as well as leading the effort to preserve key portions of the John Day Fossil Beds. Sawyer continued as publisher of the Bend Bulletin for 34 years. In 1953, Sawyer put the newspaper up for sale. He received offers from several large newspaper chains, but eventually sold the newspaper to Robert Chandler. To make the purchase affordable, Sawyer only required a $6,000 down payment. [4] [5] [7] [8]
Chandler ran the newspaper for the next 43 years, first as The Bend Bulletin and after 1963 as The Bulletin. During his tenure, Chandler brought new technology into the newspaper's operation. Soon after he bought the paper, he expanded the photoengraving facilities. In 1956, he replaced the paper's flatbed press with a new rotary press that printed 13,000 32-page sections per hour. The new press also allowed the paper to print photographs in color. [5] [9]
In 1966, The Bulletin moved to a new building on Hill Street in the southern part of Bend. As part of the move, a new offset press was installed. The new press ended the need to produce hot-lead cast type. It also improved the quality of the newspaper's photographs. That same year, The Bulletin began using wire service photos to supplement photographs taken by the paper's staff photographers. In the 1970s, the newspaper installed video display terminals to receive electronic feeds from the wire services. The video displays were replaced with computers a few years later. A new Goss Urbanite offset press was installed in 1980. This new system could print 20,000 sections an hour. [5]
In 1988, three reporters were arrested for criminal trespass for attempting to get the records of hotel-motel taxes from the Deschutes County Commissioners. [10] The Commissioners denied access to the records and the reporters were never prosecuted. [10]
The Bulletin created its website, bendbulletin.com, in 1996. [11]
The Bulletin was owned by Western Communications starting in 1953. The company went through an initial Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011 [12] and filed for a second round of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2019. [13] Western Communications filed documents in U..S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland in June 2019 indicating that it planned to sell The Bulletin andRedmond Spokesman to Rhode Island Suburban Newspapers for just over $2 million. [14] EO Media Group emerged as a late bidder and won the bankruptcy sale auction on July 29, 2019. Their bid of $3.65 million for TheBulletin and the Redmond Spokesman included investment and loans from civic and business leaders in Bend. [15]
In October 2019, the paper's landmark northwest lodge-style office and printing press building, built on just under 10 acres in 2000, was sold for $13.25 million to Next Development Group. [16] The building was revamped for commercial tenants, with a focus on high tech and R&D. Outside, Inc. announced it would move into the building in November 2021, which had been renamed The Quad at Skyline Ridge. [17] The newspaper relocated to leased offices in the Old Mill District [18] and the Prineville press shop owned by Pamplin Media Group began printing The Bulletin. [19]
On Sept. 13, 2023, the paper announced it would be converting from home delivery services to a mail-only delivery service for all of its newspaper subscribers starting Sept. 26. [20]
On Oct. 20, 2023, staff at the Bend Bulletin and Redmond Spokesman announced plans to form a union. The 11 members of union, dubbed the Central Oregon NewsGuild, consists of reporters, news assistants and photographers. On Friday, the union sent a letter to parent company EO Media Group asking it to voluntarily recognize the union. If the company declines, a vote to unionize will be set at a later date. [21]
On Dec. 19, 2023, the writers, photographers and news assistants at The Bulletin and The Redmond Spokesman voted 12–1 in favor of unionizing. [22]
In June 2024, EO Media Group announced The Bulletin will cease it's Sunday print edition and reduce the number of e-editions per week from seven to five. [23] [24]
In December 2024, the paper's copy editor was laid off. The owners also announced plans to layoff a reporter, two photographers and a news clerk. [25] That same month, the union filed a federal labor complaint against Carpenter Media Group arguing the owners were surface bargaining. [26]
Since its founding, The Bulletin has had a number of distinguished publishers, including George P. Putnam, Robert W. Sawyer, and Robert W. Chandler. All three of these newspapermen are honored in the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame. Putnam and Sawyer were inducted in 1980, shortly after the Hall of Fame was created by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Chandler was inducted in 2006. [27]
Phil Brogan was another well-known journalist associated with The Bulletin. He was hired by Sawyer in 1923, and worked as a reporter, writer, and editor for the next 44 years, earning numerous awards for his work. He was also a distinguished historian, geologist, paleontologist, geographer, meteorologist, astronomer, and outdoorsman. In 1964, Brogan wrote East of the Cascades, an important source of information on the geology, geography, and history of Central Oregon. [28] [29] Phil Brogan Viewpoint near Lava Butte in Newberry National Volcanic Monument is named in his honor. [30]
Erik Lukens returned to The Bulletin in 2016 to become editor. He was the director of editorial and commentary at The Oregonian in Portland from 2012 to 2016, leading the paper to the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Prior to joining The Oregonian, Lukens held a variety of newsroom positions at The Bulletin for 14 years. [31] Lukens was not retained when EO Media Group took ownership of the paper. [32]
Gerry O'Brien, formerly of the Klamath Falls Herald and News and several newspapers in Montana, was the editor of The Bulletin from September 2019 to February 2024. [33]
Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. The population was 33,274 at the 2020 census, and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 37,009.
The East Oregonian (EO) is a daily newspaper published in Pendleton, Oregon, United States and covering Umatilla and Morrow counties.
Robert William Sawyer was an Oregon journalist and well known conservationist. He was publisher of the Bend Bulletin newspaper for 34 years. Sawyer supported free enterprise, low taxes, limited government, and the Republican Party. He was elected Deschutes County judge shortly after the county was created, and later served on numerous national boards and commission. To recognize his outstanding contribution to journalism, Sawyer was inducted into the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame.
The Pamplin Media Group (PMG) is a media conglomerate owned by Carpenter Media Group and operating primarily in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr. founded the company in 2001 and sold it to Carpenter in 2024. As of 2019, the company owns 25 newspapers and employs 200 people.
The Observer, established in 1896, is a newspaper that serves Union and Wallowa counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its headquarters are in La Grande, the seat of Union County. The Observer circulates Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. EO Media Group based in Salem, Oregon, publishes the newspaper.
Philip Francis Brogan was an Oregon journalist and author. He was a reporter, writer, and editor for the Bend Bulletin for 44 years, earning numerous awards for his work. He was also a well known historian, geologist, paleontologist, geographer, meteorologist, astronomer, and outdoorsman. He served as president of the Oregon Geographic Names Board for over twenty years. Brogan wrote East of the Cascades in 1964, an important source of information on the geology, geography, and history of Central Oregon. Brogan was given the title "Father of Oregon Speleology" by Charles V. Larson for his dedication to the study and conservation of caves, particularly Fort Rock Cave, Skeleton Cave and Lavacicle Cave. Phil Brogan Viewpoint near Lava Butte in Newberry National Volcanic Monument is named in his honor.
The Hermiston Herald is a weekly paper published on Wednesdays in Hermiston, Oregon, United States, since 1906.
Western Communications, Inc. was an American newspaper publisher serving the states of Oregon and California from 1953 to 2019.
The Baker City Herald is a tri-weekly paper published in Baker City, Oregon, United States, since 1870. It is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and is owned by EO Media Group.
The Madras Pioneer is a weekly paper published Wednesday in Madras, Oregon, United States. It is published on Wednesdays. It is the newspaper of record for Jefferson County.
The Redmond Spokesman is a weekly newspaper published in Redmond, Oregon, United States. It serves the city of Redmond and neighboring communities in northern Deschutes County, focusing on local news and events. The Spokesman was founded in 1910 by Henry H. Palmer. Today, the paper is owned by EO Media Group.
Robert W. Chandler was an American journalist, businessman, and philanthropist. He was the editor and publisher of The Bulletin, a daily newspaper in Bend, Oregon. He ran the newspaper for 43 years. With the Bulletin as a starting point, he founded Western Communications, Inc., a company that owns and publishes newspapers in Oregon and California. Among his various efforts in the field, he served as president of the national Society of Professional Journalists. He was also a major donor to the High Desert Museum in Bend. He was inducted into the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2006.
The Blue Mountain Eagle is a weekly newspaper published on Wednesdays in John Day, Oregon. It is a newspaper of record for Grant County.
The Cline Buttes are mountains with volcanic origins that form three dome-shaped peaks located in Deschutes County in central Oregon. They are some of the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range. Situated on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the buttes are flanked on the east and west sides by two separate sections of the Eagle Crest Resort. On the highest summit, there is a Federal Aviation Administration site with an aircraft navigation beacon. The mountains have several hiking trails as well as a number of popular mountain bike routes.
The EO Media Group, formerly known as the East Oregonian Publishing Company, is a newspaper publishing company based in the U.S. state of Oregon. It publishes 17 newspapers in the state and in southwestern Washington.
Cass Adelbert Cline was an American pioneer who was an early settler in central Oregon. Cline’s family moved to Oregon when he was a small child, settling west of the Cascade Mountains near Roseburg. As a young man, Cline moved to central Oregon and claimed homestead land along the Deschutes River. He later became a well-known dentist, property developer, and race horse breeder. Today, a waterfall on the Deschutes River, a nearby mountain group, and a state park bear his name.
The Wallowa County Chieftain is a weekly newspaper in Enterprise, Wallowa County in the U.S. state of Oregon.
Cline Falls is a 20 ft-high (6.1 m) segmented steep cascade waterfall on the Deschutes River. It is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Redmond, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is named for Cass A. Cline, who owned the land adjacent to the falls in the early 20th century. The falls occur just north of the point where Oregon Route 126 crosses the Deschutes River. The riparian area around Cline Falls provides habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife species.
The 2021 St. Charles Bend strike was a labor strike involving technical workers at the St. Charles Medical Center – Bend in Bend, Oregon, United States. The strike was precipitated when, in 2019, the workers at the hospital unionized with the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. Following this, the union's bargaining unit began to negotiate a labor contract between the workers and the hospital, with several dozen negotiating meetings following over the next year. By December 2020, however, both sides were at an impasse, and in February 2021, the union filed a strike notice. Despite legal challenges by the hospital, the strike commenced on March 4. On March 13, both sides agreed to a proposal by a federal mediator, with workers to return to work while both sides continued to negotiate a contract, with a deadline of March 31. The strike officially ended on March 15 and workers returned to the hospital. A contract was eventually ratified between the union and hospital by the end of that month.