The Anniston Star
Type | Daily newspaper |
---|---|
Format | Broadsheet |
Owner(s) | Consolidated Publishing Co. |
Publisher | Josephine Ayers |
Editor | Timothy Cash |
Founded | 1883 |
Headquarters | 4305 McClellan Boulevard Anniston, Alabama 36202 United States |
Website | annistonstar.com |
The Anniston Star is the daily newspaper serving Anniston, Alabama, and the surrounding six-county region. Average Sunday circulation in September 2004 was 26,747. However, by 2020 it was approximately half of this.[1] The newspaper is locally owned by Consolidated Publishing Company, which is controlled by the Ayers family of Anniston. As of 2020, the paper operated as a "digital-first" publication, and was putting out only three print editions each week.[1]
History
The paper was first published in 1883 as the Anniston Evening Star. It traces its modern history to 1911, when managing editor Col. Harry M. Ayers left to start his own paper, the Anniston Hot Blast—a nod to Anniston's roots as a steel town. By 1912, the Hot Blast had become Anniston's largest newspaper, and was more than large enough to absorb the Evening Star. Although the merged paper was initially called the Anniston Hot Blast and Evening Star, the Hot Blast name was eventually dropped. The Star has been owned by the Ayers family since 1911.[1]
Early on, the Star gained a reputation as one of the few liberal-minded Southern newspapers. It was one of the few progressive Southern papers to support
H. Brandt Ayers took over the paper from his father in 1965. Under the younger Ayers' watch, the Star reversed its initial skepticism toward the
The Star is Consolidated's flagship paper. Other newspapers printed by the company include The Daily Home, and the weeklies The Cleburne News, the St. Clair Times, and the News Journal.
The Star is a community newspaper and the dominant source of retail advertising in the region. Its online edition offers the content of the print edition, along with syndicated articles from Consolidated's network papers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony Cook, head of the Star's publishing company, announced that the editorial page was to be discontinued. Cook also voluntarily furloughed himself rather than laying off staff.[1]
H. Brandt Ayers controversy
On January 2, 2018, during the
In March 2019 H. Brandt Ayers resigned as head of Consolidated Publishing after further alleged incidents of misconduct on his part emerged, including further alleged incidents of physical abuse of female staff. He was replaced by his wife, Josephine Ayers.[3] H. Brandt Ayers died in May 2020.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d Short, Aaron. "A newspaper editor furloughed himself rather than lay off his reporters". insider.com. Insider Inc. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Lockette, Tim (2 January 2018). "Star's former publisher acknowledges assault on reporter". The Anniston star. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ Thornton, William (6 March 2019). "H. Brandt Ayers, Anniston Star's former publisher, resigns following allegations". AL.com. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Moseley, Brandon (5 May 2020). "NEWSLongtime Anniston Star publisher H. Brandt "Brandy" Ayers has died". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Today's The Anniston Star front page at the Freedom Forum website
- "The Anniston Star". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Foundation.