Las Vegas Optic

The Las Vegas Optic
TypeTwice-weekly newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
OwnerO’Rourke Media Group
Founder(s)W.J. "Jap" Turpen
Russell A. Kistler
EditorPhil Scherer
Founded1879
LanguageEnglish
OCLC number7880971
Websitelasvegasoptic.com

The Las Vegas Optic is a newspaper located in Las Vegas, New Mexico.[1] Published on Wednesday and Friday of each week, it serves San Miguel and Mora counties.

History

In May 1879, W.J. "Jap" Turpen and Russell A. Kistler published the first edition of The Otero Optic in Otero County, New Mexico.[2] Two months later the paper relocated to Las Vegas, New Mexico.[3] That August, it was relaunched as the Las Vegas Optic.[4] Turpen left a few months later.[5] The Optic was then expanded from a weekly into a daily.[6] Winchester Dove Kistler assisted his brother at the paper. In 1890, he died.[7]

In September 1897, Kistler formed the Las Vegas Publishing Company, which operated the paper and was majority owned by Kistler.[8] In February 1898, Kistler retired from the business,[9] only to return two years later.[10] The paper soon encountered some financial difficulties and in 1902 it was acquired by the Allen brothers.[11] C.W. Allen soon left for a job at the El Paso Herald while L. H. Allen remained at the Optic.[12] In March 1903, James Graham McNary bought the paper. L.H. Allen retained stock and stayed on as business manager.[13] A month later the company bought and absorbed a rival paper called the Daily Record.[14]

In 1907, McNary leased the Optic to M.M. Padgett.[15] McNary soon disposed of his interest after becoming a banker.[16] In 1914, Optic founder Kistler died. His obituary called him "a clever writer, with a breezy style."[11] In 1921, Padgett resigned and sold off his stock. Cecil W. Johnson then succeeded him.[17] In 1922, Johnson resigned and was replaced by Herbert "Hub" W. Kane.[18]

In 1930, a former employee filed a $60,000 lawsuit against Kane for injuries resulting from when a car she was in, driven by Kane, crashed and rolled over on the highway.[19] In July 1947, Kane died from a heart attack.[20] Four months later, his estate sold the paper to Orville E. Priestley and James H. Skewes, owners of the Las Cruces Sun-News.[21] In 1949, Lincoln O'Brien purchased the Optic. He also bought the Tucumcari News from Richard Hindley.[22] Later that year O'Brien acquired the Farmington Times-Hustler and turned it into the Farmington Daily Times.[23][24]

In 1956, Thomas R. Wright acquired the Optic. Brothers Lawrence "Larry" R. Finch and J. Clayton Finch bought a share.[25] In 1959, Wright resigned and the Finches became the sole owners.[26] In 1966, Robert M. McKinney acquired the paper,[27] and a year later sold it to brothers Stuart R. Beck and Robert H. Beck, owners of the Roswell Daily Record.[28] Stuart's wife Lois Weekes Beck was soon hired as a reporter.[29]

In 1971, Stuart Beck was elected president of the New Mexico Press Association.[30] That same year, the Associated Press issued a citation praising the Optic for its contributions to the wire service,[31] and nominated Lois Beck for a Pulitzer Prize for her reporting racial strife at New Mexico Highlands University.[32] In 1972, Lois Beck was appointed editor.[33] In 1975, she stepped down but continued to write for the Optic.[34] In 1990, Lois Beck died.[32] A year later she was posthumously inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.[35] Her husband later remarried.[36]

In 1998, Stuart Beck died from a heart attack.[36] In 2002, his widow Delia Beck and brother Robert Beck sold the paper to Landmark Community Newspapers.[37] The company was acquired by Paxton Media Group in 2021,[38] and a month later the Optic was sold to O’Rourke Media Group.[39]

References

  1. ↑ Anderson, George B. (1907). History of New Mexico: Its Resources and People, Volume 1. Pacific States Publishing Company. p. 476. Retrieved June 29, 2018. Las Vegas Optic.
  2. ↑ "Notice". Weekly New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. May 31, 1879. p. 2.
  3. ↑ "Notice". Hutchinson Herald. Hutchinson, Kansas. July 26, 1879. p. 2.
  4. ↑ "Notice". Daily Gazette. Las Vegas, New Mexico. August 3, 1879. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "Notice". Hutchinson Herald. Hutchinson, Kansas. October 18, 1879. p. 3.
  6. ↑ "Notice". Weekly New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. November 8, 1879. p. 2.
  7. ↑ "Obituary | Winchester D. Kistler". Las Vegas Daily Optic. December 1, 1890. p. 5.
  8. ↑ "New Publishing Company. |The Las Vegas Optic Merged Into a Corporation and Articles of Incorporation Filed". Albuquerque Journal. September 2, 1897. p. 3.
  9. ↑ "Notice". Las Vegas Daily Optic. February 9, 1898. p. 2.
  10. ↑ "Back Again on the Tripod". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. January 8, 1900. p. 1.
  11. 1 2 "Old Newspaper Man Dies After Long Illness | R.A. Kistler Passes Away In Las Vegas Hospital; Was Pioneer in Profession in New Mexico". Albuquerque Journal. April 3, 1914. p. 5.
  12. ↑ "Local And Personal". Albuquerque Journal. March 24, 1902. p. 4.
  13. ↑ "Las Vegas Optic Sold". White Oaks Eagle. White Oaks, New Mexico. March 26, 1903. p. 1.
  14. ↑ "Las Vegas Optic Buys Record. To Be Independent Republican". Albuquerque Journal. April 22, 1903. p. 1.
  15. ↑ "Las Vegas Optic Is Under New Managment". Albuquerque Journal. January 2, 1907. p. 8.
  16. ↑ "Four Governors To Attend Big Statehood Fiesta". Albuquerque Journal. September 5, 1911. p. 5.
  17. ↑ "Padgett Disposes Of His Interest In Las Vegas Optic; A New Manager". The Santa Fe New Mexican. October 6, 1921. p. 2.
  18. ↑ "Johnson Resigns As Editor Of The Optic". Albuquerque Journal. June 7, 1922. p. 4.
  19. ↑ "Publisher Las Vegas Optic Sued Heavy Damages". The Roswell Daily Record. Associated Press. April 23, 1930. p. 3.
  20. ↑ "Las Vegas Publisher Dies Of Heart Attack". Las Cruces Sun-News. Associated Press. July 20, 1947. p. 4.
  21. ↑ "Group Purchases Las Legas Optic". Albuquerque Journal. Associated Press. October 12, 1947. p. 1.
  22. ↑ "Newcomer Buys Las Vegas Optic, Tucumcari News". Albuquerque Journal. Associated Press. April 1, 1949. p. 2.
  23. ↑ "O'Brien Buys Farmington Times-Hustler". The Santa Fe New Mexican. June 2, 1949. p. 2.
  24. ↑ "First Daily in Farmington History Hits Streets Today". Independent. Gallup, New Mexico. August 1, 1949. p. 1.
  25. ↑ "Troy Couple Buys Paper | Las Vegas Daily Sold; Finches Buy Share". The Journal Herald. Dayton, Ohio. Associated Press. December 4, 1956.
  26. ↑ "Wright To Resign As Publisher And Editor Of Optic". Las Vegas Sunday Optic. December 13, 1959. p. 13.
  27. ↑ "Optic Changes Hands". Las Vegas Daily Optic. March 31, 1966. p. 5.
  28. ↑ "Las Vegas Optic Sold to Becks". Albuquerque Journal. United Press International. December 20, 1967. p. 27.
  29. ↑ "Optic reporter has birthday??". Las Vegas Optic. March 11, 1971. p. 1.
  30. ↑ "Optic Publisher named N.M. press president". Las Vegas Optic. October 18, 1971. p. 1.
  31. ↑ "Optic, Range praised by Associated Press". Las Vegas Optic. Associated Press. November 18, 1970. p. 1.
  32. 1 2 "Las Vegas editor dies". The Santa Fe New Mexican. October 12, 1990. p. 15.
  33. ↑ "Optic editorship changes hands". Las Vegas Optic. January 11, 1972. p. 1.
  34. ↑ "Lois Beck is retiring as "Optic' editor". Alamogordo Daily News. Associated Press. January 7, 1975. p. 10.
  35. ↑ "2 inducted into hall". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Associated Press. October 20, 1991. p. 14.
  36. 1 2 "Las Vegas Optic Publisher Dead at 66 | Journalist Stricken By Apparent Heart Attack". Albuquerque Journal. February 17, 1998. p. 29.
  37. ↑ Salem, Nancy (June 11, 2002). "Chain buys Las Vegas daily newspaper". The Albuquerque Tribune. p. 13.
  38. ↑ "Paxton Media Group buying Landmark Community Newspapers". The Associated Press. May 26, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  39. ↑ "O'Rourke Media Group Acquires Las Vegas (NM) Optic from Paxton Media Group". Dirks, Van Essen & April. June 23, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
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