''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when the ''Florida Union'' merged with another Jacksonville paper, the ''Florida Daily Times''. A Southeast Georgia edition, called ''The Georgia Times-Union'', serves the Brunswick area.
In 1983, Morris Communications of Augusta, Georgia, purchased Florida Publishing Company. ''The Times-Union'' became the largest newspaper of this chain, which owns a number of newspapers around the country. The paper is now owned by
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.American Civil War, J. K. Stickney and W. C. Morrill published the first edition of the ''Florida Union''. It was a
Northern
Northern may refer to the following:
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* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
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and Republican paper, at the time when Jacksonville was occupied by the Union Army. By 1867, Stickney sold the ''Florida Union'' to Edward M. Cheney, of Boston. Cheney tried to make the paper into a daily publication but lacked the needed money. The ''Union'' was sold to Walton, Fowle & Co. in 1873. Stockholder C. F. Mawbey assumed control and turned the ''Union'' into a daily publication. Cheney returned to the ''Union'' as an editor.
In 1876, the ''Union'' was in decline and abandoned daily publication. Financially doomed, it was sold to H. B. McCallum, who then returned it to daily publication and converted it from an afternoon to a morning paper. Charles H. Jones wanted to buy the ''Union'' but was refused by McCallum. Annoyed, Jones started a rival paper, the ''Florida Daily Times'', in November 1881. By 1883, the ''Daily Times'' was dominating the ''Union''. McCallum became ill and finally decided to sell the paper to the ''Daily Times''. The ''Union'' then combined with the ''Daily Times'' to form ''The Florida Times-Union'', whose first edition was published on February 4, 1883.
The paper was partisan and worked to promote railroad interests. The ''Daily Times'' was reporting on election related violence in 1882.
On February 11, 2018, ''The Florida Times-Union'' printed its last papers in Jacksonville after 154 years. ''The Florida Times-Union'' newspapers are now printed at '' The Gainesville Sun'' and '' The Daytona Beach News-Journal'', which are both owned by Gatehouse Media. On April 1, 2019, ''The Florida Times-Union'' moved to the Wells Fargo building at 1 Independent Drive, Suite 200 in downtown Jacksonville.
File:FloridaTimesUnion1880s.jpg, ''The Florida Times-Union'' (far right) in the 1880s.
File:FTUPressroom1911.jpg, The pressroom in 1911.
File:FTU1972.jpg, The Florida Times Union employees using linotype machines in 1972.
File:Ftuhq.jpeg, The offices of ''The Florida Times-Union'' from 1967 to 2019.
Ownership
For most of the 20th century, ''The Florida Times-Union'' was owned by the Florida Publishing Company, which was in turn jointly owned by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, the
, and the Seaboard Air Line Railway, the three main railroads serving Jacksonville, having been acquired in equal shares by them or their corporate predecessors about 1896. The Coast Line and the Seaboard merged in 1967 and were predecessors of
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
; the Florida East Coast has maintained its corporate identity into the 21st century. Both railroads have their headquarters in Jacksonville, the railroad hub of the state.
In 1983 Morris Communications of Augusta, Georgia, acquired the Florida Publishing Company for $200 million. In October 2017 Gatehouse Media acquired the ''Times-Union'' from Morris Communications, in conjunction with numerous other papers across the country, for $120 million.
See also
*
Media in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida is served by local media, as well as regional and national media. As of 2017, Jacksonville is ranked as the 42nd largest television media market in the United States, with 700,890 homes. Radio and television broadcasts are go ...