newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written 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 politics, business, sports a ...
based in
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh)
is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...
. Part of the
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Fox Cities
The Fox Cities of Northeastern Wisconsin are the cities, towns and villages along the Fox River as it flows from Lake Winnebago northward into Green Bay.
The Fox Cities communities, as defined by its Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Vis ...
area.
History
''The Appleton Crescent'' was formed in 1853 as a weekly newspaper, the same year that Appleton became a village.Myrna Collins "The Post-Crescent History" February 10 2003 Retrieved January 1, 2007 The ''Crescent'' was a determinedly Democratic newspaper, created by
Samuel
Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...
, James and John Ryan.
Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Cim ...
, later a famed writer and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, became a reporter at the Appleton Crescent at the age of 17 and worked there for about 18 months, approximately 1902-1903.
The ''Crescents Jacksonian Democratic politics upset Republicans, and a second newspaper, ''The Appleton Motor'', was formed by F.C. Meade on August 18, 1859. Meade was soon joined by Ryan's brother Francis.
While the two newspapers were bitter rivals, they did cooperate at times. When the ''Crescent'' suffered serious damage in 1863 from apparent arson, the ''Motor'' ran an article condemning the act. The ''Motor'' changed its name to ''The Appleton Post'' in 1887 after changing hands several times. The ''Posts buildings were damaged that year, and donations from the ''Crescent'' kept the paper open.
''The Appleton Post-Crescent'' was formed when the ''Post'' and the ''Crescent'' merged on February 2, 1920. The first paper was published on February 10, 1920. Editors decided to not align with either political party.
''The Appleton Post-Crescent'' decided to purchase the ''Twin City News-Record'', which had been formed when the ''Menasha Record'' and the ''Neenah News Times'' merged in 1949. The "Appleton" portion of the name was removed in 1964 to reflect that the newspaper reached farther than the city limits.
Publisher V.I. Minahan coined the term "the
Fox Cities
The Fox Cities of Northeastern Wisconsin are the cities, towns and villages along the Fox River as it flows from Lake Winnebago northward into Green Bay.
The Fox Cities communities, as defined by its Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Vis ...
" in 1953, which is now a common term to describe the metropolitan Appleton area.
Ownership
Post Publishing owned the newspaper from 1920 until it was purchased by
Gillett Communications
George Nield Gillett Jr. (born October 22, 1938) is an American businessman. Originally from Wisconsin, he lives in Vail, Colorado.
Biography
Gillett graduated from Lake Forest Academy in 1956. He attended Amherst College and is a 1961 graduate ...
on August 1, 1984, and was also a former owner of
WLUK
WLUK-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Suring-licensed CW affiliate WCWF (channel 14). Both stations share studi ...
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquett ...
's
WLUC
WLUC-TV (channel 6) is a television station licensed to Marquette, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan as an affiliate of NBC and Fox. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on US 41/ M ...
(Channel 6),
WEAU
WEAU (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States, serving the La Crosse–Eau Claire market as an affiliate of NBC and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios on S ...
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
's WOKR (Channel 13). Gillett sold the newspaper four months later to
Thomson Newspapers
The Thomson Corporation was one of the world's largest information companies. It was established in 1989 following a merger between International Thomson Organisation Ltd (ITOL) and Thomson Newspapers. In 2008, it purchased Reuters Group to form ...
, while the television stations were sold to various parties. Thomson owned the paper until it was sold to
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.shifted the printing of the Post-Crescent and all the chain's Wisconsin newspapers to Peoria, Illinois.
Circulation
The circulation at the 1920 merger was 7,000. It grew to 40,000 by 1960 (when Appleton's population was 48,000). The circulation in 2003 was 53,600 on weekdays, more than 61,000 on Saturdays and nearly 70,000 on Sundays.
Notable journalists
*
Mary Agria
Mary A. Agria (born 24 March 1941) is an American writer who spent her early career as a journalist and non-fiction writer, then in 'retirement' began writing a series of novels that deal with the issues facing older Americans, including findin ...
*
Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Cim ...