The ''Portland Tribune'' is a weekly

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, spor ...

published every Wednesday in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

, United States. It is part of the

Pamplin Media Group The Pamplin Media Group (PMG) is a media conglomerate owned by Robert B. Pamplin, Jr. and operating primarily in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of 2019, the company owns 25 newspapers and employs 200 people. H ...

, which publishes a number of

community newspaper Community journalism is locally-oriented, professional news coverage that typically focuses on city neighborhoods, individual suburbs or small towns, rather than metropolitan, state, national or world news. If it covers wider topics, community j ...

s in the Portland metropolitan area. Launched in 2001, the paper was published twice weekly until 2008, when it was reduced to weekly. It returned to twice-weekly publication in 2014 and was again reduced to weekly publication in 2020. It was distributed free from its 2001 launch until October 2022, then becoming available only by paid subscription or purchase at retail outlets.

History

2000–2007

Portland businessman

Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Robert Boisseau Pamplin Jr. (born September 3, 1941) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and minister. He is also noted as an educator, historical preservationist and author. A longtime Oregonian, Pamplin is chairman, president and CEO ...

announced his intention to found the paper in the summer of 2000. The first issue of the twice-weekly (Tuesdays and Fridays) paper was published February 9, 2001, joining '' The Oregonian'', the city's only daily general-interest newspaper, and the alternative weeklies ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willam ...

'' and '' The Portland Mercury''. At the time, it was a rare example of the expansion of print news, in a time when many cities were seeing newspapers merge or go out of business. But its launch preceded a significant national downturn in advertising sales, which posed difficulties for a startup newspaper. Eleven months after its launch, the ''Tribune'' cut back on home deliveries. The newspaper was reportedly losing money faster than anticipated after its first year. By late 2006, its newsroom staff had been reduced to 27.

2008 to present

On May 5, 2008, the paper announced it would switch, effective immediately, to a once-a-week print format, with a Thursday print edition (in place of Tuesday and Fridays) accompanied by daily updates to its website. In July 2009, "difficult economic conditions" led to the layoff of two reporters and the resignation of its managing editor, resulting in a newsroom staff of 14. In March 2014, the ''Portland Tribune'' resumed twice-weekly publication of its print edition, with reinstatement of a Tuesday edition, while continuing to publish a Thursday edition. In January 2020, the ''Portland Tribune'' returned to once-weekly on Thursdays and online articles became limited to paid subscribers only. Publication of the print edition shifted from Thursday to Wednesdays in April 2020. In October 2022, publisher Mark Garber announced that the weekly newsprint edition, which had continued to be free, would change at the beginning of November to a paid product, available only to subscribers and by purchase at retail outlets.

Coverage

The paper deals almost exclusively with issues local to Portland and the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The paper is known for its extensive coverage of local high school, college and professional sports teams, with concentration on the NBA, Pac-10, Big Sky Conference and West Coast Conference. A business section was added to the print edition in 2014, along with other coverage expansion, including health and fitness content and more regional coverage. The ''Tribune'' sponsors the annual Portland Regional Spelling Bee for middle school students. The champion participates in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

References

External links