 | |
 Front page of July 1, 2017 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | The McClatchy Company |
| Founder(s) | R. F. Radebaugh H.C. Patrick |
| Editor | Stephanie Pedersen |
| Founded | 1880 (asThe Ledger) |
| Headquarters | 1950 South State Street Tacoma,Washington 98405 |
| Circulation | 5,000 Digital Subscribers[1] 30,945 Daily 37,255 Sunday (as of 2020)[2] |
| ISSN | 1073-5860 |
| Website | thenewstribune |
The News Tribune is an Americannewspaper based inTacoma, Washington. It is the second-largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington with a weekday circulation of 30,945 in 2020.[2] With origins dating back to 1883, the newspaper was established under its current form in 1918. Locally owned for 73 years by the Baker family, the newspaper was purchased byMcClatchy in 1986.
In April 1880, Randolph Foster Radebaugh and H.C. Patrick founded the weeklyTacoma Ledger. Their firm was named Radebaugh & Company.[3] Radebaugh previously worked as a reporter at theSan Francisco Chronicle and a correspondent for theCincinnati Commercial.[4] Patrick previously published theSan Jose Republican and then theSanta Cruz Courier in California.[3] The two relocated theCourier printing plant to Tacoma and used it to launchThe Ledger.[4] In May 1882, Patrick sold out to Radebaugh,[5] who then expanded the paper into a daily.[4]
On August 10, 1881, George W. Mattice first published thePierce County News.[6] In April 1882, Mattice sold the paper to Mrs. M.L. Money.[7] In May 1882, Patrick sold his stake in theLedger to Radebaugh.[5] In June 1882, Money sold theNews to Patrick,[8] who then renamed the latter toThe Weekly Tacoma News and doubled its size.[9] Both papers became dailies in 1883;The Ledger started daily publication on April 7, with theNews following on September 25.[10][11]
Patrick sold theNews to George R. Epperson for $5,500 in September 1885,[12] who sold it to a ownership group in February 1886.[13] The principal owners of the News Publishing Co., Richard Roediger and William McIntyre.[14] Thomas E. Scantlin bought an interest in fall 1888 and assumed editorial management.[14]
Radebaugh remained asLedger editor until 1892, when he sold a half-interest toNelson Bennett, and then the rest a few months later. Clinton A. Snowden was named general manager.[15] In 1896, Snowden formed a company and boughtThe Ledger from Nelson.[16] On May 15, 1897, the paper was $70,000 in debt fell into receivership under Major O.B. Hayden,[17] who sold it a month later to C.M. Shultz.[18]
In 1898, McIntyre sold theNews to Sidney "Sam" A. Perkins for $18,000.[19] Albert C. Johnson, a writer atThe Washington Post, was named editor.[20] A month later Shultz named Perkins business manager of theLedger.[21] A year later Perkins left theLedger and Shultz publisher a letter accusing him of corporate sabotage.[22] Shultz sold the paper in December 1899 to ownership group including C. J. Lord,[23][24] and bankerMark E. Reed acquired it in May 1900.[25] Perkins acquired theLedger from Reed a month later.[26]
In 1907, the first phase of construction of thePerkins Building was completed andThe Ledger andThe News moved in.[27] On June 12, 1908, Radebaugh re-entered the market with the debut ofThe Tacoma Daily Tribune.[28] He underestimated the capital needed to run the newspaper successfully[19] and sold it in 1909 to A.J. Blethen, owner ofThe Seattle Times.[29] By early 1912, itsinsolvency had reached $250,000, withJohn S. Baker as a principal creditor. Coincidentally, a group including Elbert H. Baker, a cousin of John, and his son Frank S. Baker had just sold theBoston Traveler to theBoston Herald; John traveled to his birthplace ofCleveland and convinced Elbert and Frank to explore a purchase ofThe Tribune, with Frank supporting the idea when he conducted an investigation in Tacoma. The Bakers purchased the paper and its debts,[19] with Frank first appearing as its publisher on October 26.[30]
The Tribune became successful at the expense ofThe News and theTacoma Ledger, with Perkins facing about $400,000 in debt by early 1918. Perkins consulted his creditor, who stated that Tacoma's newspaper market was too saturated and suggested a merger withThe Tribune, which Perkins discussed with Frank S. Baker when they coincidentally found each other on a train to Cleveland. Subsequent negotiations resulted in Baker acquiring the two papers from Perkins, with Baker mergingThe News andThe Tribune together to formThe Tacoma News Tribune, its first issue appearing on June 17, 1918.[31][32]The Ledger remained a separate Sunday morning paper until 1937.[33]
In 1948, the paper began operating theradio stationsKTNT-AM and KTNT-FM,[34] and in 1953 began operating atelevision station with the same call letters.[35] In 1979, the newspaper adopted the nameTacoma News Tribune. In 1983, its parent company bought thePierce County Herald in Puyallup. In October 1985,McClatchy Newspapers reached an agreement with the Baker family to purchase the Tribune Publishing Company's newspaper assets from them for an estimated $112 million, with the transaction completed on August 1, 1986;Viacom purchased the remaining assets, including a television franchise and a radio station, at the same time.[36][37]
As of 2001, theNews Tribune was the third largest newspaper in Washington, with a daily circulation of 130,000.[38] The newspaper, alongside sister publicationThe Olympian, were printed at a plant in Tacoma until February 3, 2019.[39] Since that time, the newspapers have been printed at the facilities ofThe Columbian inVancouver, Washington.[39] In March 2024, the newspaper announced it will decrease the number of print editions to three a week.[40]
Harriet Hall criticized theNews Tribune inSkeptical Inquirer in 2019 for its acceptance of advertisements for health-related products that imitated the presentation of real articles with only a small disclaimer.[41]
