 Front page, 27 June 2024 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | CNHI |
| Publisher | Steve Jameson |
| Editor | Joe Spear |
| Founded | 1887 (138 years ago) (1887) |
| Political alignment | Independent |
| Language | American English |
| Headquarters | 418 South Second Street Mankato, MN |
| City | Mankato |
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | 12,076 (as of 2024)[1] |
| OCLC number | 15579049 |
| Website | www |
The Free Press is an American, English language dailynewspaper published inMankato,Minnesota.[2][3]
The first newspaper published in Mankato, theMankato Weekly Independent, began publication in 1857.[4] Six years later, it was bought by Charles Slocum and named theMankato Union. Then in 1880 theUnion and its rival Mankato paper, theRecord, merged and became theMankato Weekly Free Press. It ran as a weekly until 1887, when it became a daily. The word "Daily" was dropped from its name in 1940 and 30 years later, "Mankato" was dropped.[2]
The last local owner of the paper was Jared How, who sold The Free Press Co. toOttaway Newspapers Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary ofDow Jones & Company. Ottaway acquired 11 percent of the company in 1977 and the remainder in 1979. In 2002, Ottaway soldThe Free Press and other papers to Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (later renamedCNHI).On its 50th anniversary,The Free Press circulation was 12,000. In 2024, the circulation was 12,476. That year, due to rising costs, the paper stopped printing its Monday issue of the newspaper, though an electronic edition would continue to be published on their website.[5]
The Free Press also publishes theMankato Magazine,MNValley Business magazine andThe Land, a Minnesota farm and rural life publication. It also serves readers through its website, which launched in 1994. It was named the 2010 CNHI Newspaper of the Year and in 2013 was named the CNHI Best Website.
TheFree Press news staff covers six counties – Blue Earth,Nicollet,Le Sueur,Brown,Waseca andWatonwan. The major cities of Mankato,North Mankato,Waseca,St. Peter andLe Sueur are also primary coverage areas. It also has wide coverage of local sports andMinnesota State University inMankato. It also is the publisher ofMankato Magazine (circulation 10,000), theMN Valley Business magazine andThe Land (circulation 35,000).[6]