The Messenger-Inquirer
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Paxton Media Group
PublisherMike Weafer[1]
EditorMatt Francis[1]
Founded1875
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters1401 Frederica St.
Owensboro, Kentucky 42301
United States
Circulation15,087 Monday-Saturday
20,383 Sunday
Websitemessenger-inquirer.com

The Messenger-Inquirer is a local newspaper in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Messenger-Inquirer serves 15,087 daily and 20,383 Sunday readers in five counties in western Kentucky.[2]

History

The newspaper's roots trace back to 1875, when Lee Lumpkin founded The Examiner. [3]

The newspaper's name was later changed to the Messenger. The Messenger was purchased by the Hager family, owners of the competing Owensboro Inquirer, in 1929.[3]

By 1864, when Thomas S. Pettit purchased the paper, it had changed its name to The Monitor.[4] Immediately after taking control of the paper, Pettit published a series of items vigorously criticizing the Republican Party and its policies during the Civil War.[5] On November 17, 1864, Pettit was arrested on orders from General Stephen G. Burbridge on charges of being "notoriously disloyal" to the Union.[5] He was taken to Memphis, Tennessee, and transferred into Confederate territory.[4]

In May 1865, he returned to Owensboro and found his print shop and printing press had been destroyed by federal authorities.[4] He traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to purchase replacement equipment and, on hearing the story of his arrest and subsequent travels, the equipment dealer extended him a generous line of credit, allowing him to purchase more sophisticated equipment than had ever before been used in Owensboro.[4] With this new equipment, Pettit revived the Monitor and published his stories of wartime banishment, bringing him significant acclaim in Kentucky.[5] Moreover, he also published editorials by future U.S. Senator Thomas C. McCreery, giving the Monitor further credibility and increasing its readership.[4][6]

The newspaper was purchased by A.H. Belo Corp. (then-owner of the Dallas Morning News) in 1997 for an undisclosed sum.[7]

Belo sold the newspaper to Paxton Media Group in 2000.[8][9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Contact Us". Messenger-Inquirer. Paxton Media Group. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "Messenger Inquirer". Kentucky Press Association. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  3. 1 2 Dooley, Karla. "Messenger-Inquirer marks 125th anniversary". KYPressOnline.com. Kentucky Press Association. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Connelley and Coulter, p. 158
  5. 1 2 3 Biographical Cyclopedia, p. 141
  6. ↑ Belo sells Kentucky daily
  7. ↑ "A.H. Belo Corp. to acquire The Gleaner newspaper". Associated Press. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Selected Group Sellers of Newspapers Represented by DV&M". Dirks, VanEssen & April. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  9. ↑ Belo sells Kentucky daily
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.