The ''Quad-City Times'' is a daily morning
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
based in
Davenport, Iowa, and circulated throughout the
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...
metropolitan area (
Davenport,
Bettendorf and
Scott County in Iowa; and
Moline,
East Moline,
Rock Island and
Rock Island County
Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 147,546. Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighboring ...
in Illinois).
As it is a regional newspaper, the ''Quad-City Times'' is also circulated and has readership in
Cedar
Cedar may refer to:
Trees and plants
*''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae
*Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar
Places United States
* Cedar, Arizona
* ...
,
Clinton,
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
,
Louisa and
Muscatine counties in Iowa; and
Carroll,
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
,
Mercer
Mercer may refer to:
Business
* Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925)
* Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City
* Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...
and
Whiteside Whiteside may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* Whiteside, Queensland, suburb in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland
;Canada
* Whiteside, Nova Scotia
;United Kingdom
* Whiteside (Lake District), a fell in the west of the English Lake District
* White ...
counties in Illinois.
According to the Iowa Newspaper Association, the ''Quad-City Times'' has a circulation of 61,366. The newspaper is owned by
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 77 daily newspapers in 26 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is b ...
, which is also located in
Davenport.
History
The ''Quad-City Times'' grew from several predecessors, including the ''Democratic Banner'' and ''Blue Ribbon News''.
The ''Democratic Banner'' was founded in 1848, was sold in 1855 to a group of businessmen and rechristened the ''Iowa State Democrat''. The ''Iowa State Democrat'' published its first edition on October 15 of that year, with E. T. Eagel its first publisher. The newspaper underwent many changes through its early history, and by 1899, its circulation was 1,300 daily and 2,500 weekly. By 1903, it was known as the ''Davenport Democrat,'' and in 1905, after purchasing its rival newspaper, ''The Davenport Leader'', the name became ''The Davenport Democrat & Leader'', under the city editorship of
Ralph W. Cram. The newspaper was sold to
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 77 daily newspapers in 26 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is b ...
in 1915; thereafter Cram become editor and publisher, until 1940. ''Davenport'' was dropped from masthead in 1937, and by 1951 the newspaper adopted the name of ''Morning Democrat''.
The ''Blue Ribbon News'' began publication in 1878; by 1886, it was known as the ''Davenport Daily Times''. The newspaper, which struggled for many years, was sold in 1899 to A. W. Lee (founder of
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 77 daily newspapers in 26 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is b ...
) for $120,000.
Both newspapers continued to grow in circulation before being combined into one newspaper - ''Times-Democrat'' - in 1964. By 1974, with circulation expanding throughout eastern Iowa and western Illinois, the newspaper was given its current name.
In December 1989, the ''Quad-City Times'' moved into its current building at 500 E. Third St., Davenport. The facility, completed at a cost of $23.8 million, includes a five-story press room, mail room, warehouse and editorial offices. The facility also houses Trico, the newspaper's commercial printing business.
The ''Quad-City Times'' has been on the leading edge of technology, becoming the first all-electronic newspaper in 1973. Electronic pagination began in 1988, with all-digital photography taking root by 1994.
Brent Bozell scandal
In 2014, it was revealed that
L. Brent Bozell III
Leo Brent Bozell III (; born July 14, 1955) is an American conservative activist who founded an organization called the Media Research Center whose stated purpose is to identify alleged liberal media bias.
Bozell has been published in various lo ...
, whose conservative column the ''Quad-City Times'' had been publishing, was not written by Bozell at all but by designated
ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often ...
s. In light of the revelation, the ''Quad-City Times'' dropped Bozell's column, saying, "Bozell may have been comfortable representing others' work as his own. We're not. The latest disclosure convinces us Bozell has no place on our print or web pages."
Current ''Quad-City Times'' columnists include Roy Booker, Linda Cook, Matt Coss, Jennifer DeWitt, Don Doxsie, Alma Gaul, and Barb Ickes. The current editor is Matt Christensen. Deb Anselm is the publisher of the ''Quad-City Times''.
Other editions
![Quad-City Times building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Quad-City_Times_building.JPG)
The newspaper receives Iowa political news from Lee Enterprises'
Des Moines bureau
Bureau ( ) may refer to:
Agencies and organizations
* Government agency
*Public administration
* News bureau, an office for gathering or distributing news, generally for a given geographical location
* Bureau (European Parliament), the administra ...
, and Illinois political news from its
Springfield bureau.
Previously, the ''Quad-City Times'' published these additional editions, which have since been discontinued:
* An "Afternoon Edition" that circulated for many decades only in Davenport and Bettendorf.
* An "Illinois Edition" that circulated in the Illinois Quad Cities, and throughout Rock Island, Henry and Mercer counties.
* A bureau in
Clinton that compiled news for a "Gateway Edition." This edition went to
Clinton and
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
counties in Iowa, and
Carroll and
Whiteside Whiteside may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* Whiteside, Queensland, suburb in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland
;Canada
* Whiteside, Nova Scotia
;United Kingdom
* Whiteside (Lake District), a fell in the west of the English Lake District
* White ...
counties in Illinois during the week.
The "Quad-City Times" is available on the Amazon Kindle book reader; however without ads, classifieds and most photos and tables.
The ''Bettendorf News''
On Thursdays, the ''Bettendorf News'' is published, and the tabloid-sized included in newsstand and subscriber copies in Bettendorf,
Le Claire,
Pleasant Valley and
Riverdale. From 1927 through sometime in the 2000s decade, the ''Bettendorf News'' was a stand-alone weekly newspaper. Since 1975, the newspaper has been owned by Lee Enterprises, and during the 2000s decade, the newspaper became a weekly section comprising features, sports recaps and community news. In the past, special weekly sections were also published for the Clinton, and both the upper and lower Rock Island County markets, but these have since been discontinued.
Previous publications
Other publications previously produced by the ''Quad-City Times'' included:
* ''On the River'', a journal dedicated to life on the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
. ''On the River'' published from July 12, 2003 to April 5, 2008.
* ''QC BizNet'', a monthly business magazine with stories about
Quad-City area businesses. ''QC BizNet'' was published from May 2000 to June 2001.
* ''Quad-City Business Journal'', a monthly business magazine with stories about
Quad-City area businesses. ''Quad-City Business Journal'' was published from Jan. 1, 2003 to Dec. 1, 2011.
* ''The Rock Island News'', a weekly insert dedicated to news about
Rock Island. ''The Rock Island News'' was published from April 29, 2007 to April 27, 2008.
* ''WINC.'', or ''Women Incorporated Magazine'', a publication dedicated to women entrepreneurs and business leaders. WINC. was published from March 2004 to February 2006.
* ''Your Mom'', a teen publication written by and dedicated to teen readers. ''Your Mom'' was published from Sept. 8, 2004 to Dec. 22, 2005.
Awards
*1965
Penney-Missouri Award for General Excellence.
*1971
Penney-Missouri Award for General Excellence.
*1977
Penney-Missouri Award for General Excellence.
References
Sources
* "Scott County Heritage," Scott County Heritage Book Committee, Taylor Publishing, Dallas, 1991.
* "''Quad-City Times'': Doing Business Then and Now," ''Quad-City Times'' 150th anniversary section, Sept. 11, 2005. Includes a timeline detailing the newspaper's history on pages U22-27.
External links
Quad-City TimesIowa Newspaper Association
{{Lee Enterprises
Newspapers published in Iowa
Lee Enterprises publications
Davenport, Iowa
Quad Cities
Newspapers published in the Quad Cities
1964 establishments in Iowa
Publications established in 1964