Eagle Newspapers (Oregon) Explained

Eagle Newspapers (Oregon) should not be confused with Eagle Newspapers (New York).

Eagle Newspapers
Type:Privately held company
Industry:Media
Founded:1948
Founder:Elmo Smith
Defunct:2020
Hq Location:4901 Indian School Rd NE,Salem OR 97309-0008
Revenue:$8 million
Revenue Year:1978-79
Owner:Denny Smith
Num Employees:350
Num Employees Year:1980

Eagle Newspapers was an American newspaper publisher serving the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The company originated in 1948 when Elmo Smith purchased the Blue Mountain Eagle. He would later sell the paper but the company's name would be derived from that title. Smith served a partial term as Oregon Governor and upon his death the business was managed by his son Denny Smith, who rapidly grew it from three newspapers to nearly twenty in the span of two decades. By 1985, Eagle Newspapers publications accounted for nearly one-half of the weekly newspapers sold each week in Oregon.[1] The company sold off its last paper in 2020.

History

Origins (1933 to 1968)

The origins of the company date back to 1933 when Elmo Smith and his wife, Dorothy, borrowed $25 to establish a mimeographed pennysaver in Ontario, Oregon.[2] In 1936, the couple bought a press and founded the Eastern Oregon Observer. Smith sold the newspaper in December 1946 to Jessica Longston and Robert Pollock.[3] He used the proceeds in 1948 to purchase the Blue Mountain Eagle in John Day, Oregon. That same year Smith and his friend Bill Robinson purchased The Madras Pioneer and the family business was incorporated as Blue Mountain Eagle Newspapers, Inc. In 1961, the company purchased the Hood River News and the Polk County Itemizer-Observer in 1964.[4] The Blue Mountain Eagle was sold In 1968 to Donna and John Moreau.[5]

Expansion (1968 to 2004)

Elmo Smith died in 1968 and the company was inherited by his son Denny Smith. At the time he worked as a pilot for Pan American Airlines and had served as a jet fighter pilot in the Vietnam War.[6] The new owner set a goal of buying 10 newspapers as a way to cut overall costs through consolidation and to create more opportunities for employees to advance. BME purchased the Central Oregonian in 1969.[7] A year later the company moved its headquarters in 1970 from Dallas to Salem after a gas leak led to an explosion that destroyed its printing plant. The Eagle Web Press in Salem was completed in 1971.

The company acquired the Independence Enterprise-Herald and the Woodburn Independent in 1971; the Canby Herald in 1972; Goldendale Sentinel in 1974; Polk Sun of Monmouth in 1975; White Salmon Enterprise,[8] Molalla Pioneer and North Willamette News in 1976;[9] and The Dalles Reminder, Sheridan Sun and Lake Oswego Review in 1978.

BME purchased the Polk Sun of Monmouth in 1975 from Frank Parchman, and then merged it with the Independence Enterprise-Herald to form the Sun-Enterprise.[10] A year later BME merged operations with the owners of the North Willamette News of Aurora in 1976. The deal included the Molalla Pioneer and Wilsonville News along with the BME-owned newspapers Canby Herald and Woodburn Independent.

The company's name was shortened to Eagle Newspapers, Inc. in 1979 when it merged with newspaper publishing companies in Hood River and Hermiston. Eagle pooled resources with Jerry Reed, who owned the Hermiston Herald, in a stock-for-stock exchange along with Dick Nafsinger, who owned the remaining shares in Hood River News which had been operating as a subsidiary of Eagle. That same year Eagle launched the free weekly Tualatin Valley Observer, which ceased after three years.[11]

In 1981,[12] Joe Blaha, who worked at Eagle, founded the West Linn Tidings.[13] That same year Eagle acquired the Idaho County Free Press [14] and sold the Sheridan Sun to its publisher. In 1984, Eagle bought the Sunnyside Sun[15] [16] and sold the Goldendale Sentinel to A.J. and Lynda McNab.[17] That same year Jerry Reed divested from Eagle Newspapers and regained full ownership of the Hermiston Herald.

The company purchased the Newberg Graphic in 1985.[18] Also in 1985, Eagle entered into an agreement with The Guard Publishing Co., which owned The Register-Guard, to manage its five weekly newspapers in Washington County. The papers were operated by its subsidiary Times Publishing Co. and included the Valley Times in Beaverton, Tigard Times, Tualatin Times, Forest Grove News-Times and Cornelius Times. In 1987, the Lake Oswego Review (which also published the Lake Oswego Review and West Linn Tidings) was merged into Times Publishing Co. and Eagle obtained part ownership of the new joint venture,[19] which was called Community Newspapers, Inc.[20] The business was sold to Steve Clark in 1996.[21]

Eagle purchased the Daily News of Sunnyside and merged it with Sunnyside Sun in 1986 to form the Daily Sun News. Eagle also bought Daily Shipping News in 1995,[22] The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle in 1996,[23] and The Dalles Chronicle from Pulitzer in 1996.[24]

Sell-off (2004 to 2020)

In October 2004, the company sold the Camas-Washougal Post Record to The Columbian Publishing Co.[25] In January 2013, Eagle sold six newspapers in Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley to the Pamplin Media Group. The sale included the Canby Herald, Madras Pioneer, Molalla Pioneer, Newberg Graphic, Wilsonville Spokesman and Woodburn Independent.[26] [27] In June 2013, Eagle also sold Pamplin the Central Oregonian and its printing facility in Prineville.[28]

In 2018, the company sold the Daily Sun News to Andy McNab, who renamed it back to the Sunnyside Sun.[29] A year later Eagle sold the Idaho County Free Press in Grangeville to the paper's publisher Sarah Klement.[30] The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle was also sold in 2019 to the paper's manager J. Louis Mullen.

Due to the COVID-19 recession in the United States, Eagle Newspapers announced plans to shutter the Hood River News, The Dalles Chronicle and the White Salmon Enterprise.[31] Instead the paper's publisher Chelsea Marr purchased them in March 2020.[32] The three were combined to form the Columbia Gorge News on April 8.[33] [34]

In April 2020, the company sold the Polk County Itemizer-Observer to SJ Olson Publishing, Inc.[35] [36]

Newspapers formerly published by Eagle

!Title!Year acquired!Year sold or closed!Fate
19481968Sold to John Moreau
The Madras Pioneer19482013Sold to Pamplin Media Group
Hood River News19612020Sold to Chelsea Marr
Polk County Itemizer-Observer19642020Sold to Scott Olson
Central Oregonian 19692013Sold to Pamplin Media Group
Woodburn Independent19712013Sold to Pamplin Media Group
Independence Enterprise-Herald19711975Merged with Polk Sun to form Sun-Enterprise
Canby Herald19722013Sold to Pamplin Media Group
Goldendale Sentinel19741984Sold to Andy McNab[37]
Polk Sun of Monmouth 19751975Merged with Enterprise Herald to form Sun-Enterprise[38]
Sun-Enterprise 19751992Merged into Polk County Itemizer-Observer
White Salmon Enterprise19762020Sold to Chelsea Marr
Molalla Pioneer 19762013Sold to Pamplin Media Group
Wilsonville News1976
North Willamette News of Aurora1976
The Dalles Reminder19781996Merged into The Dalles Chronicle
Sheridan Sun19781981Sold to publisher
Lake Oswego Review 19781987Ownership transferred to Community Newspapers, Inc.
Hermiston Herald 19791984Herald owner Jerry Reed divested from Eagle Newspapers[39]
Tualatin Valley Observer19791982Closed
Camas-Washougal Post Record1980s2004Sold to The Columbian Publishing Co.
West Linn Tidings19811987Ownership transferred to Community Newspapers, Inc.
Idaho County Free Press 19812018Sold to Sarah Klement
Wilsonville Spokesman19832013Sold to Pamplin Media Group
Sunnyside Sun19841986Merged with Daily News to form Daily Sun News
Newberg Graphic 19851987Ownership transferred to Community Newspapers, Inc.
Daily News of Sunnyside19861986Merged with Sunnyside Sun to form Daily Sun News[40]
Daily Sun News19862018Sold to Andy McNab
Daily Shipping News 1995
The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle 19962019Sold to J. Louis Mullen
The Dalles Chronicle19962020Sold to Chelsea Marr
Vancouver Value Clipper 2003[41]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: February 8, 1985 . Eagle to manage Times publications . The Oregonian . 75.
  2. Web site: About Us . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200924071736/https://eaglenewspapers.com/about-us/ . September 24, 2020 . 2022-07-25 . Eagle Newspapers . en-US.
  3. News: August 30, 1947 . Pair Purchase Ontario Newspaper . The Idaho Statesman . 5.
  4. News: 1964-04-16 . Polk County Publisher Sells Paper . 2024-09-14 . The Capital Journal . 16.
  5. Web site: About Us . 2024-09-14 . Blue Mountain Eagle . en.
  6. News: Easterling . Jerry . 1980-01-20 . The Eagle is soaring: Newspaper chain undergoes rapid growth in past decade . 2024-09-14 . Statesman Journal . 66.
  7. Web site: 2013-07-03 . Pamplin Media purchases Central Oregonian . 2024-09-14 . The Madras Pioneer . en.
  8. Web site: 2016-07-06 . Yesteryears: The Hood River ‘runs out of water’ in 1976 . 2024-07-27 . Columbia Gorge News . en.
  9. News: 1976-09-15 . 2 papers in Valley merging . 2024-09-15 . Statesman Journal . 10.
  10. News: March 12, 1975 . Two Polk papers planning to merge . The Capital Journal . 1.
  11. News: Amick . Steve . September 21, 1982 . Weekly in Tualain ceases publication . The Oregonian . 39.
  12. Web site: West Linn Tidings . 2024-09-14 . Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association . en.
  13. Web site: Joe Blaha obituary . 2024-09-14 . Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association . en.
  14. News: July 31, 1981 . Oregon chain buys Free Press weekly in Idaho County . The Idaho Statesman . 24.
  15. Book: Bagwell . Steve . New Editions: The Northwest's newspapers as they were, are, and will be . Stapilus . Randy . Ridenbaugh Press . 2013 . 978-0-945648-10-9 . Carlton, Oregon . 281–282 . 861618089.
  16. News: December 9, 1984 . Local group buys weekly paper . Statesman Journal . 52.
  17. Web site: About Us . 2024-09-14 . Goldendale Sentinel . en.
  18. News: 1985-01-04 . Eagle chain buys Graphic . 2024-09-14 . The Oregonian . 56.
  19. News: December 5, 1987 . Oregon papers to merge . The World . 19.
  20. News: March 7, 1988 . Media . The Oregonian . 36.
  21. News: 1996-10-10 . Couple buys chain of community newspapers for undisclosed price . 2024-09-14 . The Oregonian . 19.
  22. News: September 29, 1995 . Portland's Daily Shipping News sold to Eagle Newspapers Inc. . The Oregonian . 31.
  23. Web site: 2020-05-20 . Chronicle celebrates 110 years . 2024-09-14 . Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle . en.
  24. News: October 2, 1996 . Pulitzer in Paper Deals . February 2, 2023 . . Associated Press.
  25. Web site: About The Columbian Publishing Co. . 2024-09-14 . The Columbian . en-US.
  26. News: January 8, 2013 . Pamplin Media Group acquires 6 weekly papers from Eagle Newspapers . en-US . The Oregonian . November 9, 2018.
  27. News: January 8, 2013 . Pamplin Media Group Acquires Additional News Outlets . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180704005931/https://www.editorandpublisher.com/news/pamplin-media-group-acquires-additional-news-outlets/ . July 4, 2018 . November 9, 2018 . Editor & Publisher . en-US.
  28. News: Giegerich . Andy . June 27, 2013 . Pamplin group buys Prineville's Central Oregonian paper . 27 June 2013 . Portland Business Journal.
  29. Web site: Perez . Kennia . 2024-04-18 . Sunnyside Sun staff bring ownership home . 2024-04-21 . Sunnyside Sun . en.
  30. Web site: Rauzi . David Rauzi . 2019-12-04 . Free Press returns to local ownership under publisher, Klement . 2023-10-01 . Idaho County Free Press . en.
  31. Web site: Nichols . Rodger . January 2021 . Don’t Stop the Presses . 2023-10-01 . Northern Wasco County PUD.
  32. Web site: 2020-03-31 . Chronicle under new ownership . 2023-10-01 . Columbia Gorge News . en.
  33. Web site: 2020-04-08 . Commentary: Introducing the once-and-future Columbia Gorge News . 2024-07-27 . Columbia Gorge News . en.
  34. Web site: 2021-09-21 . Columbia Gorge News wins state recognition . 2023-04-19 . Columbia Gorge News . en.
  35. Web site: Mentzer . Emily . 2020-03-31 . Eagle sells IO to Scott Olson . 2023-10-01 . Polk County Itemizer-Observer . en.
  36. Web site: Barreda . Virginia . Salem-based Eagle Newspapers Inc. sells Polk County Itemizer-Observer . 2022-07-25 . Statesman Journal . en-US.
  37. Web site: Edstrom . Judy . August 15, 2012 . Eagle’s 76 Years – our history – first installment . 2024-09-14 . Eagle Newspapers Inc . en-US.
  38. News: Visoky . Tom . 1992-12-23 . Two Polk weeklies merge today . 2024-09-14 . Statesman Journal . 3.
  39. Web site: McDowell . Jade . 2016-11-04 . Former Herald owner/publisher Jerry Reed has died. . 2024-09-14 . Hermiston Herald . en.
  40. Web site: 2020-01-09 . Daily Sun News to close after 32 years . 2023-04-05 . Sunnyside Sun . en.
  41. Web site: September 13, 2012 . Second installment of Eagle’s history . 2024-09-14 . Eagle Newspapers Inc . en-US.