The Bellingham Herald

The Bellingham Herald is the only daily newspaper published in Bellingham, Washington, in the United States. It is currently owned by The McClatchy Company.^[1]

History

The Bellingham Herald began publication on March 10, 1890 as the tri-weekly Fairhaven Herald. The newspaper went through several changes in its early years, including temporary suspension and a merger with a competing weekly. In 1900 the newspaper purchased the first linotype on the West Coast. When neighboring communities of Sehome, Whatcom and Fairhaven consolidated into the city of Bellingham in 1903, the paper was first printed as The Bellingham Herald.

There were many who filled the roles of publisher and editor over the years but perhaps the most notable was the Sefrit-Carver team under the ownership of Sidney Albert "Sam" Perkins, which began in 1911 and lasted into the 1950s. Federated Publications bought The Herald in 1967. In 1971 Federated Publications merged with Gannett Corporation. The Herald switched to morning delivery in May 1997. Knight Ridder acquired The Bellingham Herald in 2005. Knight Ridder was purchased by McClatchy in 2006. On September 23, 2010 Mark Owings became the Publisher of the Herald; he had been Finance Director since 2004 and a Herald employee for 12 years before being named to his new position.

The Herald Building

The Herald Building in downtown Bellingham is on the corner of State and Chestnut Streets. The building, built in 1926 as an eight-story office building, houses The Bellingham Herald's main offices on the first and second floors; tenant businesses occupy the upper floors. The lit sign atop the building served sailors as a navigation aid for many years. Morse Hardware had a similar sign saying "MORSE" on top of it for decades - and boaters would use the two signs at night for navigation.

References

• The Bellingham Herald official website
• Official mobile website
• The McClatchy Company's subsidiary profile of The Bellingham Herald