The Seattle Times Company

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The Seattle Times Company
Type Private
Founded 1896
Headquarters 1120 John Street,
Seattle, Washington 98109
Flag of the United States United States
Industry Newspapers
Products The Seattle Times and several other newspapers in Maine and Washington
Website seattletimescompany.com
"Blethen Maine Newspapers", "Issaquah Press" and "Maine Community Publications", all subsidiaries of The Seattle Times Company, redirect here.

The Seattle Times Company is a privately owned publisher of daily and weekly newspapers in the U.S. states of Maine and Washington. Founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1896, the company is now in its fourth and fifth generations of ownership by the Blethen family.

Contents

[edit] Washington newspapers

In its headquarters city of Seattle, the company owns the Washington's largest-circulation daily newspaper, The Seattle Times, and (through a joint operating agreement) runs the business and circulation departments of the Times's chief competitor, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Elsewhere in Washington, the company owns the Yakima Herald-Republic and Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

Maine-native schoolteacher and attorney Alden J. Blethen bought the Seattle Press-Times in 1896, renaming it the Seattle Daily Times and doubling its circulation to 7,000 six months later. When he died in 1915, the Times' circulation was 70,000.[1]

The two smaller dailies were added much later. The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin was purchased from the Kelly family in 1971, while the Yakima Herald-Republic was bought in 1991.

[edit] Issaquah Press Inc.

The Seattle Times Company acquired Issaquah Press Inc. July 1, 1995, from Pacific Media Group. Originally consisting of one newspaper, the King County chain added two more in the 1990s. Based at 45 Front Street South, Issaquah, Washington.

The Issaquah Press
Founded in 1900, The Issaquah Press is the newspaper of record for Issaquah, Washington. It and its companion shopper reach 20,000 homes in Issaquah every week.[2]
Newcastle News
Only five years after the incorporation of the city of Newcastle, Washington, the Issaquah Press Inc. office debuted a monthly newspaper for the city. The Newcastle News is now mailed free to 5,000 homes in Newcastle.[3]
Sammamish Review
Founded as a monthly in 1992, the Sammamish Review has been a weekly since 2007 and is delivered, free, to 15,000 homes in Sammamish, Washington, every Wednesday.[4]

[edit] Other

In addition to various websites associated with its newspaper properties, The Seattle Times Company also owns Rotary Offset Press, a printing company in Kent, Washington.

[edit] Blethen Maine Newspapers

An "independent subsidiary" of The Seattle Times Company, formed in 1998, publishes newspapers in Maine, including the state's largest daily, the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram. The other two dailies in the Blethen chain are the Kennebec Journal in Augusta and Morning Sentinel in Waterville.[5]

[edit] Guy Gannett purchase

Blethen Maine Newspapers was built in one acquisition, Seattle Times' purchase of all the newspapers formerly published by Guy Gannett Communications. Guy Gannett's television stations were sold separately, to Sinclair Broadcasting.[6]

Guy Gannett -- no relation to the larger Gannett communications chain -- was a family-owned business consisting of newspapers in Maine and a handful of television stations in the eastern United States. The company was founded by its namesake, Guy P. Gannett, in 1921, and managed by a family trust from 1954 onward. Guy Gannett managers said they sold to The Seattle Times Company because of shared values -- both companies were fourth-generation family-owned news organizations.

"Of all the companies in the newspaper business, The Seattle Times is one most like our company in the sense of independence, of family ownership, and commitment to the community," said Guy Gannett spokesman Tim O'Meara.[7]

[edit] Maine Community Publications

Three weeklies make up the Maine Community Publications division of Blethen Maine Newspapers, The Coastal Journal in Bath, The Community Leader of Falmouth, and The Maine Switch, a lifestyle magazine in Portland.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Seattle Times Company: Overview, accessed October 29, 2007.
  2. ^ "Tracing the History of The Issaquah Newspaper" and "Issaquah Press Facts", accessed May 27, 2007.
  3. ^ Newcastle-News.com: About, accessed May 26, 2007.
  4. ^ SammamishReview.com: About, accessed May 26, 2007.
  5. ^ Christie, John. "In the Newspaper Business, Who Owns the Place Makes All the Difference in the World". Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine). August 13, 2006.
  6. ^ "Highlights of the Week: Sept. 6-12". The Boston Globe, page K2, September 13, 1998.
  7. ^ Wilmsen, Steven. "Seattle Times Co. Buys Maine Newspapers from Guy Gannett". The Boston Globe, page D1, September 2, 1998.

[edit] External links


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The Seattle Times Company