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| Type | Newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Lee Enterprises(2020–present) Berkshire Hathaway(1977–2020) |
| Editor | Margaret Kenny Giancola[1] |
| Founded | October 11, 1880; 145 years ago (1880-10-11) as theBuffalo Evening News |
| Headquarters | Buffalo |
| Circulation | 23,735 Daily 67,430 Digital (as of June 1, 2025)[2] |
| ISSN | 0745-2691 |
| OCLC number | 8882862 |
| Website | buffalonews |
The Buffalo News is the mainnewspaper of theBuffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtownBuffalo, New York.
It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett'sBerkshire Hathaway.[3] In 2020, the paper was sold toLee Enterprises.[4]
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The Buffalo News was founded as a Sunday paper with the nameThe Buffalo Sunday Morning News in 1873 byEdward Hubert Butler, Sr.[5][6] On October 11, 1880,[7] it began publishing daily editions as well, and in 1914, it became an inversion of its original existence by publishing Monday to Saturday, with no publication on Sunday. During most of its life, theNews was known asThe Buffalo Evening News. A gentleman's agreement between theEvening News and theBuffalo Courier-Express meant that theEvening News would be evening-only, and theCourier-Express would be morning-only. Until 1977, theNews did not publish on Sundays because of the agreement, and its weekend edition appeared on Saturday evening.
The Butler family owned theEvening News until 1974, when longtime owner and publisher Katherine Butler, granddaughter of the founder, died and left no heirs.[8] TheEvening News properties were placed in ablind trust, which sold theEvening News toBerkshire Hathaway in 1977.[3] The new owners began publishing on Saturday and Sunday mornings.[6] After a period of financial decline, theCourier-Express published its last issue on September 19, 1982. TheEvening News then shortened its name toThe Buffalo News and became an all-day newspaper, publishing two editions seven days a week.
On October 1, 2006, theNews announced it would abandon its evening edition later that month.
The Buffalo News had published three morning editions (Western New York, Final and Niagara) that appeared online at BuffaloNews.com, reaching over 400,000 readers, across eight counties each day. These separate editions were eliminated in 2018 and consolidated into a single Final edition, in response to a newsprint shortage.[9]
The News' Designated Market Area had the largest adult population in upstate New York. Counties in total circulation area: New York - Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Steuben, Wyoming; Pennsylvania - Cameron, Erie, McKean, Potter, Warren.[citation needed]
The newspaper founded and owned the WBEN television and radio stations, which are nowWIVB (Channel 4),WBEN (930),WYRK (106.5) andWBKV (102.5), respectively. The radio stations are now owned by other companies, but in 2014, WIVB came back under partial co-ownership with theNews when Buffett'sMedia General merged with the WIVB parent company,LIN Media.
On January 29, 2020, theNews reported it was being sold along – with the rest of Berkshire Hathaway's newspaper portfolio – toLee Enterprises, an Iowa-based owner of 50 newspapers that has had significant ties to Berkshire Hathaway since 2012 and had operated Berkshire Hathaway's other newspapers since 2018.[4] In September 2024, ten jobs were eliminated from the newsroom which has an estimated 55 positions.[10]
On November 3, 2025, theNews moved to a six day printing schedule, eliminating its printed Monday edition.[11]
Journalists forThe Buffalo News andThe Buffalo Evening News have won fourPulitzer Prizes:
News journalists have been finalists for four other Pulitzer Prizes, but did not win:
Media related toThe Buffalo News at Wikimedia Commons