 The November 5, 2008 front page of The Columbus Dispatch | |
| Type | Dailynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | compact, three-around |
| Owner | USA Today Co. |
| Editor | Beryl Love (interim) |
| Founded | 1871; 154 years ago (1871) |
| Headquarters | 62 E Broad St Columbus, Ohio 43215 US |
| Circulation |
|
| ISSN | 1074-097X |
| OCLC number | 61311972 |
| Website | dispatch |
The Columbus Dispatch is a dailynewspaper based inColumbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city sinceThe Columbus Citizen-Journal ceased publication in 1985.
As of November 2019, Alan D. Miller is the newspaper's interim general manager.[2]
The paper was founded in June 1871 by a group of 10 printers withUS$900 infinancial capital. The paper published its first issue asThe Daily Dispatch on July 1, 1871, as a four-page paper which cost 4¢ (105¢ in 2024) per copy. The paper was originally an afternoon paper for the city ofColumbus, Ohio, which at the time had a population of 32,000. For its first few years, the paper rented a headquarters on North High Street and Lynn Alley in Columbus. It began with 800 subscribers.[3]
On April 2, 1888, the paper published its first full-page advertisement, for the Columbus Buggy Company. In 1895, the paper moved its headquarters to the northeast corner of Gay and High streets, a larger building on a site which was previously a grocer. On April 10, the paper published a 72-page edition to mark the move. On December 17, 1899, the paper published its first Sunday edition, a 36-page paper which cost 3¢ (113¢ in 2024), and the daily editions were reduced in price to 2¢ (76¢ in 2024). Two years later on March 3, 1901, the paper published its first colorcomic strips.[3]
The paper, renamedThe Columbus Evening Dispatch, changed hands several times in its early years. In 1905, it was purchased by brothers Harry Preston Wolfe and Robert Frederick Wolfe, who originally ran a shoe company. It was not the Wolfes' first entry into journalism; they had purchased theOhio State Journal two years before. TheDispatch would remain in the hands of the Wolfe family for 110 years. On December 16, 1906, the paper published its first color ad, for Beggs Store. On April 9, 1907, theDispatch offices were destroyed in a fire, and the building was demolished and rebuilt. In the interlude, the paper ran its offices out of 34/36 North High Street.[3]
The paper's editorial staff traditionally has had aconservative slant.[4][5][6] Until it endorsedHillary Clinton overDonald Trump, the paper's lastendorsement of aDemocrat as aPresidential candidate had been for the re-election ofWoodrow Wilson in 1916.[7] TheDispatch endorsedDemocraticgubernatorial candidateTed Strickland in the 2006 Ohio elections,[8] but endorsedJohn Kasich, the Republican candidate running against his reelection, in 2010[9]
A competing paper,The Columbus Citizen-Journal (known locally as the "C-J", pronounced "See-Jay") was beholden to theColumbus Dispatch for its printing facilities, and controversy surrounded the C-J's demise in 1985.
In a sale announced on June 3, 2015, ownership of theDispatch was transferred to theGateHouse Media subsidiary of New Media Investment Group.[10] With New Media's 2019 acquisition ofGannett, GateHouse Media was rebranded as Gannett, the name under which the Dispatch is currently held, Gannett would close the Dispatch's printing facility by this time, and outsourced production to a facility in Indianapolis.
TheDispatch Broadcast Group, comprisingWBNS-AM-FM-TV in Columbus andNBCaffiliateWTHR (channel 13) inIndianapolis, remained in the hands of the Wolfe family until 2019, when it was sold toTegna, Inc., which promptly absorbed the firm.[11][12]
The sections of theDispatch include the Front Section, Nation & World, Metro & State, Business, Sports and Life & Arts. The Food section is included in the Wednesday paper, while Science is published on Sundays. The Weekender section is included in the Thursday paper. A Faith & Values section is included in the Friday paper. Sunday sections include Arts & Leisure, At Home, Insight and comics.
The Columbus Dispatch also owns the magazinesColumbus Monthly,Columbus CEO,Columbus Weddings,Columbus Monthly Home & Garden,Columbus Alive, andColumbus Parent.
| Topics |  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neighborhoods | |||||||
| Enclaves | |||||||
| History |
| ||||||
| Attractions | |||||||
| Government |
| ||||||
| Education |
| ||||||
| Transportation |
| ||||||
| Sports |
| ||||||
| Museums |
| ||||||
| |||||||
