The Tennessean
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The Tennessean (known until 1972
History
The Tennessean, Nashville's daily newspaper, traces its roots back to the Nashville Whig, a weekly paper that began publication on September 1, 1812. The paper underwent various mergers and acquisitions throughout the 19th century, emerging as the
The first issue of the Nashville Tennessean was printed on Sunday May 12, 1907. The paper was founded by Col.
In 1910, the publishers purchased a controlling interest in the Nashville American. They began publishing an edition known as The Tennessean American. When the American formally folded in 1911, some of its employees banded together to found the Nashville Democrat. This paper was purchased by the Tennessean in 1913.
In 1931, Col. Luke Lea and his son Luke Lea, Jr. were
In 1935, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation acquired a large portion of the paper's outstanding bonds. It eventually sold them to Paul Davis, president of the First American National Bank of Nashville.
Still suffering from effects of the
On June 2, 1955, Silliman Evans Jr. was named president of the paper. After his father died unexpectedly of a
In 1957, Tennessean cartoonist Tom Little won a Pulitzer Prize for his cartoon, "Wonder Why My Parents Didn't Give Me Salk Shots?", encouraging parents to have their children immunized against polio.
In 1961, Silliman Evans Jr. died of a heart attack at age 36 while on his boat on Old Hickory Lake. Ownership of the newspaper passed to his mother, and several months later his brother Amon Carter Evans was named Chief Executive of the paper.
Tennessean reporters
In 1972, the Gannett Corporation purchased the Nashville Banner from the Stahlman family. In 1979, Gannett sold the Banner to a group of local investors including political figure John Jay Hooker, businessman Brownlee Currey and Franklin banker Irby Simpkins for about $25 million. It then purchased the Tennessean from the Evans family for about $50 million. John Seigenthaler became president, publisher, and editor of the Gannett-owned Tennessean. Historian E. Thomas Wood says that "without question" Seigenthaler ran the newspaper as a liberal one.[3]
In 1976, when it was revealed that Tennessean reporter Jacqueline Srouji had for many years been working as an informant (and possibly agent provocateur) for the FBI, including spying on her colleagues at the paper, Seigenthaler fired her immediately. Srouji claimed that when she had started as a reporter for the Nashville Banner over a decade before, that paper's publisher had encouraged her to hand over information to the FBI.[4]
In 1989, Frank Sutherland was named editor. He had begun his career as a reporter at the paper in 1963. Seigenthaler retired as publisher in 1991. He was replaced by Craig Moon, who held the post until he moved into a corporate position with Gannett in 2002; Moon was later named publisher of USA Today. Leslie Giallombardo was publisher from 2002 to 2005. Seigenthaler remained "Chairman Emeritus"[citation needed] until he died.
In September 1998, the paper launched Tennessean.com, its news and information website.
Among the notable journalists who have worked for The Tennessean are Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper, Pulitzer Prize winning author David Halberstam, and cartoonist Anthony Wright.
In early 2019, The Tennessean confirmed that it would be leaving its long-time headquarters at 1100 Broadway for a smaller facility nearby, and that its printing operations would be consolidated with those of the Gannett-owned
In March 2013,
The paper's primary print competitors are the weekly
The paper maintains two Goss Colorliner presses. In 2002, the paper completed installation of a MAN Roland
John Seigenthaler joined The Tennessean in 1949, resigning in 1960 to act as Robert F. Kennedy's administrative assistant. He rejoined The Tennessean as editor in 1962, publisher in 1973, and chairman in 1982 before retiring as chairman emeritus in 1991.
Ellen Leifeld was named as publisher in September 2005, succeeding Leslie Giallombardo, who became the newspaper's first female publisher in April 2002. Carol Hudler was named publisher in 2009 when Leifeld retired. Hudler was replaced by Laura Hollingsworth, who was named president and publisher in May 2013.
See also
References
- ^ Gannett. "Form 10-K". Securities & Exchange Commission. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Wood, E. Thomas (January–February 1993). "Al Gore's other big week: the Vice-President as investigative reporter". Columbia Journalism Review.
- ^ "A Special Relationship", TIME, May 24, 1976
- ^ "Alliance for Audited Media Report, March 31, 2013". Alliance for Audited Media. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- The Nashville Scene, Nashville, February 14, 2014. Retrieved on May 23, 2015.