Star Tribune

For the Wyoming newspaper, see Casper Star-Tribune.
Star Tribune

The August 2, 2007 front page of the Star Tribune
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s) Star Tribune Media Company LLC (Glen Taylor)
Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith
Editor Rene Sanchez
Opinion editor Scott Gillespie
Founded 1867
(as the Minneapolis Tribune)
Headquarters Star Tribune Building
650 3rd Ave S., Suite 1300
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Circulation 300,495 Daily
582,956 Sunday[1]
OCLC number 43369847
Website www.startribune.com

The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The paper's largest competitor is the Saint Paul-based Pioneer Press, though it competes with a number of other papers in its wide circulation area.

History

Today's Star Tribune is the product of the merger in 1982 between the Minneapolis Star, an evening newspaper, and the Minneapolis Tribune, a morning newspaper published by the same company.

Several earlier mergers preceded that one by many years, as outlined below. The Minneapolis Tribune was founded in 1867, and operated by the Murphy family between 1891 and 1941. The Minneapolis Journal was founded in 1878 as an evening paper.

The Minneapolis Times was a morning paper starting in 1889; it was purchased by the Tribune in 1905 and its name was used in various forms until 1948. Finally the Minnesota Daily Star began printing in 1920, and later became the Minneapolis Star, distributed in the evening.

The Cowles family bought the Star in 1935 and the Journal in 1939 and the two were merged into the Star-Journal, soon truncated to Star. The Cowles family bought the Tribune in 1941. The papers were operated as separate morning and evening papers. In 1944, John Cowles, Sr. hired William P. Steven, a Wisconsin native and former editor of the Tulsa Tribune, as managing editor of the two papers. Steven was named vice president and executive editor in 1954.[2]

During his tenure in Minneapolis, he served one term as president of the Associated Press Managing Editors Association in 1949 and became first chairman of the organization's Continuing Study Committee.[3] By August 1960, John Cowles, Jr. had been named vice president and associate editor of the two papers. It was soon apparent that he disapproved of Steven's hard-nosed approach to journalism. He told Steven that he would be the person clearing Steven's orders. When Steven balked, the younger Cowles fired him.[2]

In 1982, the papers were merged into the Minneapolis Star and Tribune, and in 1987 adopted the present name Star Tribune and the slogan "Newspaper of the Twin Cities".

In 1983, the Star Tribune went before the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge a Minnesota tax on paper and ink. In Minneapolis Star Tribune Company v. Commissioner, the court found that the tax targeting specific newspapers to be a violation of the First Amendment.

In 1987, the paper had separate Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and statewide editions but today it has two editions: a Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro-area edition, and a Midwest edition covering news throughout Minnesota and parts of surrounding states.

In 1998 The McClatchy Company purchased Cowles Media Company and sold off its other holdings, keeping the Star Tribune. It is often referred to as the "Star Trib" or "Strib").

John Cowles, Sr. (1898–1983)

On December 26, 2006, McClatchy sold the paper to private-equity firm Avista Capital Partners for $530 million, less than half of what McClatchy paid for the paper in 1998, when it bought the Star Tribune from Cowles Media for $1.2 billion.[4]

In March 2007, Par Ridder was named publisher of the Star Tribune, after his predecessor, J. Keith Moyer, decided to leave the newspaper after the sale.[5] Ridder resigned on December 7, 2007.[6] Ridder is a member of the Ridder family that had owned Knight Ridder, the publishers of several newspapers including the rival St. Paul Pioneer Press. Ridder's arrival resulted in considerable litigation when it was discovered that he had stolen a hard drive which was Pioneer Press property. This hard drive was laden with information about employees and advertisers which the Pioneer Press characterized as "trade secrets". Ridder also took two high-ranking staff members with him to the Minneapolis paper, which raised eyebrows as the employees in these roles usually have non-compete clauses in their contracts (which prohibit their employment with rival papers for a period of time specified under their employment agreement). On September 18, 2007, Ridder was removed from his new post by a Ramsey County judge.[7][8][9]

Through 2015, the Star Tribune headquarters in the Downtown East neighborhood of Minneapolis

On January 15, 2009, as the nation's 15th largest daily paper, the paper filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[10][11][12][13] On September 17, 2009, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved a bankruptcy plan for the paper which saw it emerge from bankruptcy protection on September 28. The paper’s senior secured lenders took hold of approximately 95 percent of the stock in the post-bankruptcy company.[14]

In August 2012, Wayzata Investment Partners became the majority owner of The Star Tribune Company, with a 58% stake.[15]

The Star Tribune won two Pulitzer Prizes in April 2013 for local reporting and for editorial cartooning. [16]

Demolition of the northeast building of the Star Tribune Downtown East headquarters in mid-2014

In 2014, The Star Tribune Company was acquired by Glen Taylor.[17] In 2015, the company moves to the Capella Tower downtown; the demolition of their two buildings in Downtown East began in 2014.[18] Taylor stated that the Star Tribune would be less liberal under his ownership, but that the newspaper had already begun a shift. He said he would focus the newspaper on accurately reporting both sides of all issues.[19]

Management

Michael J. Klingensmith is publisher and CEO of Star Tribune Media Company LLC with overall responsibility for all news and business operations of the company.[6]

Having emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the newspaper’s former ownership group, led by New York City-based Avista Capital Partners, has no stake in the company.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2014 Top Media Outlets: Newspapers, Blogs, Consumer Magazines, Social Networks, Websites, and Broadcast Media". BurrellesLuce. March 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Press: Let History Try". Time. August 29, 1960. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Minneapolis Man Gets Houston Post". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. September 20, 1960. p. 39. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  4. ↑ Ellison, Sarah (December 26, 2006). "McClatchy's Minneapolis Sale Aids Web Efforts". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ McKinney, Matt (March 5, 2007). "Par Ridder named Star Tribune CEO, publisher". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Star Tribune names Klingensmith as new publisher". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. American City Business Journals. January 7, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ Stawicki, Elizabeth (September 18, 2007). "Judge critical of Par Ridder's conduct in ruling". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  8. ↑ Welbes, John (February 1, 2008). "Star Tribune to put headquarters, other land up for sale". Pioneer Press. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
  9. ↑ Orrick, Natasha R. (February 1, 2008). "Star Tribune trying to sell headquarters". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
  10. ↑ Schmickle, Sharon (January 15, 2009). "Star Tribune files for bankruptcy and lists unsecured creditors". MinnPost. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  11. ↑ Kary, Tiffany (January 16, 2009). "Star Tribune Files for Bankruptcy After Ads Decline". Bloomberg News. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  12. ↑ Fitzgerald, Mark (January 16, 2009). "Economist: Avista Has Only Itself To Blame In 'Strib' Bankruptcy". Editor & Publisher. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  13. ↑ Pérez-Peña, Richard (January 6, 2009). "Bankruptcy for another U.S. paper". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Newmarker, Chris (September 17, 2009). "Star Tribune to emerge from bankruptcy, no new publisher named". Milwaukee Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  15. ↑ Phelps, David (August 12, 2012). "Star Tribune gains a majority owner". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  16. ↑ Meryhew, Richard (April 16, 2013). "Star Tribune wins two Pulitzer Prizes". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  17. ↑ Bjorhus, Jennifer (April 2, 2014). "Wolves owner Glen Taylor makes cash offer to buy Star Tribune". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  18. ↑ Moore, Janet (April 4, 2014). "Star Tribune to move headquarters to Capella Tower in 2015". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  19. ↑ Robson, Britt (April 16, 2015). "New owner Glen Taylor: less liberal Star Tribune ahead". MinnPost. Retrieved March 7, 2015.

External links

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