''The Ellsworth American'' is a local weekly newspaper covering Hancock County,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Overview

''The Ellsworth American'' is a locally owned and managed weekly newspaper serving Hancock County, Maine. Publication began Oct. 17, 1851,"In the Beginning... A History of ''The Ellsworth American''." ''Ellsworth American'' llsworth28 December 2000. making ''The American'' the oldest newspaper in Hancock County and the second oldest in Maine. The newspaper has won numerous awards and distinctions from state,

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and national newspaper associations in recognition of news coverage, photography, editorial pages, advertising layouts and general excellence.

Circulation

''The American''s 2012 circulation was 10,355.

Publication

The newspaper, which has a Thursday dateline, is printed each Wednesday afternoon and is available on newsstands throughout Hancock and western Washington counties and the Bangor/Brewer area of Penobscot County. Print subscriptions are mailed nationwide and fully searchable digital subscriptions have been available since 2009. ''The American''s website, ellsworthamerican.com, is updated daily.

Staff

''The Ellsworth American'' and its sister paper ''The Mount Desert Islander'' in 2012 employed a combined staff of 55. Departments include news, advertising, internet, circulation, administration, accounting, creative services and the press and mail room. Publisher Alan Baker purchased the paper in 1991. In 2018, he sold the company to Reade Brower. The administrative staff includes

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Kathy Cook and

Managing Editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edito ...

Cyndi Wood.

History

''The Ellsworth American'' began as ''The Ellsworth Herald'' on Oct. 17, 1851. It was founded by Bangor men Elijah Couillard and W.B. Hilton. The name was changed to ''Ellsworth American'' in 1855 and modified to ''The Ellsworth American'' in 1864.

James Russell Wiggins James Russell Wiggins (December 4, 1903 – November 19, 2000) was an American managing editor of ''The Washington Post'' and United States Ambassador to the United Nations. In Minnesota Wiggins' first job in journalism was as reporter for t ...

, former editor of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' and briefly U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, spent more than 30 years as editor of the paper.“James Russell Wiggins Remembered” ''Ellsworth American''. Wiggins transformed the small-town weekly into an award-winning and nationally recognized publication. Upon retiring as ambassador, Wiggins took over operations in 1969. He was editor until his death in 2000. His poems still are published on ''The American''s editorial page. Wiggins also wrote a weekly column titled "Fenceview" commemorating the title of officials elected in early New England towns to settle boundary disputes between neighbors. In January 1991, Wiggins sold the paper to current publisher Alan Baker, who joined ''The American'' staff in 1986. ''The American''s sister paper, ''The Mount Desert Islander'' in Bar Harbor, was founded in 2001. ''The American''s 160th anniversary in 2011 was commemorated at the state capitol. The Senate passed a legislative sentiment honoring ''The American'' as a locally owned and managed paper and the second oldest weekly newspaper in Maine. "With today’s trend of media consolidation, having a hometown newspaper like ''The Ellsworth American'' remain under local ownership and control is rare and wonderful," state Sen. Brian Langley (R-Hancock County) said at the time."EA Honored in Augusta on its 160th Anniversary." ''Ellsworth American'' llsworth17 February 2011. Sec. 1 Pg. 11. In 2018, Baker sold ''The American'' and ''Islander'' to Reade Brower.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellsworth American Newspapers published in Maine Ellsworth, Maine Mass media in Hancock County, Maine 1851 establishments in Maine Publications established in 1851