Valley City Times-Record

Valley City Times-Record
TypeDaily newspaper
OwnerHorizon Publications
FounderH.W. Coe
PublisherTina Olson[1]
Founded1879
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersValley City, North Dakota
Websitetimes-online.com

The Valley City Times-Record is a daily (Monday to Friday) newspaper printed in Valley City, North Dakota and published by Horizon Publications. The newspaper had its beginnings as the Valley City Weekly Times.[2] The Times-Record is the official newspaper of Barnes County, North Dakota and has a modest circulation in southeast North Dakota. Ellie Boese is the editor and Bill Parson is the publisher.[3]

History

In 1879, H.W. Coe published the first edition of the Northern Pacific Times in Valley City.[4][5] His father Dr. S.B. Cole briefly took over as editor while his son went to college in Brooklyn.[6][7] In October 1880, Dr. Coe sold the paper to Clement M. Greene so he could go practice medicine in Mandan.[8][9] At that time it was officially renamed to the Valley City Times.[5] After four months, Greene grew sick and sold the paper to G.B. Vallandigham,[10] and soon died.[11] In August 1881, Alexander McConnell assumed control.[12]

In April 1887, the Times and the Record were consolidated under editor J. Jeff Debbin.[13] In August 1889, a mob broke into the paper's printing plant, then owned by Herbert Root, and caused $3,000 worth of damage due to Root's opposition to a local whiskey ring.[14][15] Frank M. Cornell became publisher in September 1889,[16] followed by W.F. Dunlap in 1892,[17] and Steve A. Nye in 1899.[18]

In 1907, Frank E. Ployhar and Frank E. Packard, owners of the Weekly Alliance, acquired the Times-Record from Nye and merged the two papers.[19] In 1909, Ployhar sold out to two others.[20] A year later Packard announced the paper could cease.[21] In 1911, Packard sold out to L.P. Hyde.[22] In 1914, a fire partially destroyed the paper's plant, causing $5,000 worth of damage.[23]

In 1915, C.E. Greenwood and Ben Houghtaling bought the Times-Record.[24] Houghtaling soon left,[5] and Greenwood sold it in 1918 to Percy R. Trubshaw.[25][26] The Nonpartisan League soon started a rival paper called the Farmers' Opinion in an attempt to put Trubshaw out of business due to his criticism of their leader Arthur C. Townley.[27] Trubshaw sold the Times-Record to E.D. Lum in 1925,[28][29] and then reacquired it in 1927.[30]

In March 1933, Gov. William Langer billed Trubshaw, who was associated with League rival Independent Voters Association, for allegedly stealing his hat during a hotel banquet. Trubshaw denied the theft, but paid anyway.[31] Trubshaw published the paper until his death from Typhoid fever in August 1933.[32] The Trubshaw family continued to publish the paper until 1944, when they sold it to a business group, who immediately resold it to Don C. Matchan, who merged it with his Barnes County News.[33]

In April 1947, a group of local business men called the "committee of 40" opposing Matchan's left-wing editorial policies demanded he sell the paper in 30 days or else they would start a rival publication. In response, Matchan sent ballots to subscribers asking whether or not he should sell.[34][35] Newspapers across the country wrote in support of Matchan and Freedom of the press in the U.S.[36][37][38] Matchan received over 500 votes, who supported him 5-1.[39] However, he was still undecided about selling as the deadline loomed, but he did place an ad in Editor & Publisher.[40] As Matchan refused to make a decision, the committee moved forward with plans to start a rival paper.[41] He eventually chose to wait and see what the financial impacts would be from his continued ownership.[42]

In October 1947, Matchan sold the Times-Record to a company headed by Jerome O. Bjerke.[43] Bjerke was elected president of the North Dakota Press Association in 1950,[44] and sold his stock in the business in 1952, leaving Owen O. Scott as company head. Philip T. Mark became editor,[45] but soon died.[46] The paper was acquired by Edward C. Cochrane in 1962,[47] Mid-America Publishing Corp. in 1964,[48] and American Publishing Company in 1993.[49] At some point the Times-Record was acquired by Horizon Publications, Inc. In 2011, the paper's publisher was fired. In response, editor Lee Morris published an op-ed disguised as a syndicated column criticizing the company. He quit soon afterwards.[50]

References

  1. ↑ "Times-Record Gets New Publisher". Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  2. ↑ "About Valley City Weekly Times". Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  3. ↑ "North Dakota Newspaper Association: Valley City". Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Notice". Bismarck Tribune. June 14, 1879. p. 4.
  5. 1 2 3 "Newspaper Fare Varied Through Years". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. June 30, 1946. p. 11.
  6. ↑ "Truth and Virtue | Elements That Signaled The Fargo Convention". The Bismarck Tribune. May 21, 1880. p. 5.
  7. ↑ "The Valley City Times". Fargo Daily Argus. July 5, 1880. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Personal". Jamestown Weekly Alert. July 27, 1880. p. 1.
  9. ↑ "Change of Editors". Weekly Argus. Fargo, North Dakota. October 13, 1880. p. 6.
  10. ↑ "Sunday Argus:". Jamestown Weekly Alert. February 4, 1881. p. 4.
  11. ↑ "Telegrams To The Alert". Jamestown Weekly Alert. March 18, 1881. p. 1.
  12. ↑ "Dakota News". Jamestown Weekly Alert. August 21, 1881. p. 2.
  13. ↑ "Notice". The Cooperstown Courier. April 15, 1887. p. 5.
  14. ↑ "Notice". Jamestown Weekly Alert. August 29, 1889. p. 4.
  15. ↑ "Notice". Grand Forks Herald. August 30, 1889. p. 2.
  16. ↑ "Notice". Grand Forks Herald. September 26, 1889. p. 2.
  17. ↑ "Nubs of News". Grand Forks Herald. September 18, 1892. p. 8.
  18. ↑ "Notice". Bismarck Weekly Tribune. January 6, 1899. p. 4.
  19. ↑ "A Valley City Merger". Grand Forks Herald. July 30, 1907. p. 5.
  20. ↑ "Change Announced In The Valley City Record". The Bismarck Tribune. November 28, 1909. p. 10.
  21. ↑ "Paper To Suspend Unless Conditions Improve". The Dickinson Press. December 3, 1910. p. 4.
  22. ↑ "Packard Quits Times-Record". The Fargo Forum, Daily Republican, and Moorhead Daily News. Fargo, North Dakota. October 16, 1911. p. 2.
  23. ↑ "Times-Record Plant at Valley City Is Wrecked by Fire". The Fargo Forum, Daily Republican, and Moorhead Daily News. Fargo, North Dakota. March 6, 1914. p. 1.
  24. ↑ "Valley City Times-Record Has Been Sold". Jamestown Weekly Alert. March 4, 1915. p. 7.
  25. ↑ Trubshaw, P.R. (April 4, 1918). "To Our Friends". The Weekly Times-Record. Valley City, North Dakota. p. 4.
  26. ↑ "Trubshaw Gets Times-Record". Jamestown Weekly Alert. April 11, 1918. p. 11.
  27. ↑ "League Starts "Strafe" Paper At Valley City". Grand Forks Herald. July 12, 1918. p. 3.
  28. ↑ "P.R. Trubshaw Sells His Valley City Times-Record". Morning Pioneer. Mandan, North Dakota. December 14, 1925. p. 2.
  29. ↑ "Valley City Paper Sold". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. December 16, 1925. p. 8.
  30. ↑ "Valley City Paper Sold". The Fargo Forum, Daily Republican, and Moorhead Daily News. Fargo, North Dakota. April 14, 1927. p. 7.
  31. ↑ "Valley City Editor 'Stuck' For Hat In Wake of Langer Call". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. Associated Press. March 30, 1933. p. 5.
  32. ↑ "Veteran N.D. Publisher Of Times-Record Typhoid Vicitim". The Fargo Forum, Daily Republican, and Moorhead Daily News. Fargo, North Dakota. August 7, 1933. p. 1.
  33. ↑ "Newspapers At Valley City Are Merged". Morning Pioneer. Mandan, North Dakota. Associated Press. October 3, 1944. p. 1.
  34. ↑ "Readers To Decide Newspaper Issue In Valley City". The Dickinson Press. Associated Press. April 23, 1947. p. 1.
  35. ↑ "Matchan Takes Reader Poll On Sale Of V.C. Newspaper". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. April 23, 1947. p. 7.
  36. ↑ "S.D. Editors Back Matchan". Grand Forks Herald. Associated Press. April 29, 1947. p. 2.
  37. ↑ "Matchan Fight Draws Interest". The Fargo Forum, Daily Republican, and Moorhead Daily News. Fargo, North Dakota. April 25, 1947. p. 1.
  38. ↑ Matchan, Don C. (May 17, 1947). "A small town editor's fight for a free press". The Chicago Star. p. 16.
  39. ↑ "Valley City Publisher Undecided About Sale". Grand Forks Herald. Associated Press. May 15, 1947. p. 1.
  40. ↑ "Deadline Nearing For Decision On Valley City Paper". The Dickinson Press. Associated Press. May 7, 1947. p. 2.
  41. ↑ "Valley City Men Plan New Paper". Grand Forks Herald. Associated Press. May 18, 1947. p. 15.
  42. ↑ "War Front Quiet In Calley City Newspaper Row". Grand Forks Herald. Associated Press. June 12, 1947. p. 12.
  43. ↑ "Matchan Sells Times-Record At Valley City". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. October 1, 1947. p. 8.
  44. ↑ "J.O. Bjerke Heads N.D.A.P.". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. May 9, 1950. p. 11.
  45. ↑ "Editor Bjerke Of Valley City Paper Resigns". The Forum. Associated Press. January 22, 1952. p. 1.
  46. ↑ "Philip Mark, Valley City Editor, Dies". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. July 22, 1952. p. 9.
  47. ↑ "Neenah Man Buys Dakota Paper". Janesville Weekly Gazette. Associated Press. January 3, 1962. p. 1.
  48. ↑ "Valley City Times Record Sold to Mid-America Corp". Morning Pioneer. Mandan, North Dakota. Associated Press. September 2, 1964. p. 9.
  49. ↑ "Valley City paper purchased by Iowa company". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. Associated Press. October 12, 1993. p. 7.
  50. ↑ Daum, Kristen M. (August 18, 2011). "Valley City editor uses newspaper to blast owners". The Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. p. 1.
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