The Messenger-Inquirer is a local newspaper in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Messenger-Inquirer serves 15,087 daily and 20,383 Sunday readers in five counties in western Kentucky.[2]
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Paxton Media Group |
| Publisher | Mike Weafer[1] |
| Editor | Matt Francis[1] |
| Founded | 1875 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 1401 Frederica St. Owensboro, Kentucky 42301 United States |
| Circulation | 15,087 Monday-Saturday 20,383 Sunday |
| Website | messenger-inquirer |
History
editThe newspaper's roots trace back to 1875, when Lee Lumpkin founded The Examiner. [3]
The newspaper's name was later changed to the Messenger. The Messenger was purchased by the Hager family, owners of the competing Owensboro Inquirer, in 1929.[3]
By 1864, when Thomas S. Pettit purchased the paper, it had changed its name to The Monitor.[4] Immediately after taking control of the paper, Pettit published a series of items vigorously criticizing the Republican Party and its policies during the Civil War.[5] On November 17, 1864, Pettit was arrested on orders from General Stephen G. Burbridge on charges of being "notoriously disloyal" to the Union.[5] He was taken to Memphis, Tennessee, and transferred into Confederate territory.[4]
In May 1865, he returned to Owensboro and found his print shop and printing press had been destroyed by federal authorities.[4] He traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to purchase replacement equipment and, on hearing the story of his arrest and subsequent travels, the equipment dealer extended him a generous line of credit, allowing him to purchase more sophisticated equipment than had ever before been used in Owensboro.[4] With this new equipment, Pettit revived the Monitor and published his stories of wartime banishment, bringing him significant acclaim in Kentucky.[5] Moreover, he also published editorials by future U.S. Senator Thomas C. McCreery, giving the Monitor further credibility and increasing its readership.[4][6]
The newspaper was purchased by A.H. Belo Corp. (then-owner of the Dallas Morning News) in 1997 for an undisclosed sum.[7]
Belo sold the newspaper to Paxton Media Group in 2000.[8][9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Contact Us". Messenger-Inquirer. Paxton Media Group. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ "Messenger Inquirer". Kentucky Press Association. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- ^ a b Dooley, Karla. "Messenger-Inquirer marks 125th anniversary". KYPressOnline.com. Kentucky Press Association. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Connelley and Coulter, p. 158
- ^ a b c Biographical Cyclopedia, p. 141
- ^ Belo sells Kentucky daily
- ^ "A.H. Belo Corp. to acquire The Gleaner newspaper". Associated Press. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ "Selected Group Sellers of Newspapers Represented by DV&M". Dirks, VanEssen & April. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ Belo sells Kentucky daily
- Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Chicago, Illinois: J.M. Gresham Company. 1896.
- Connelley, William Elsey; Ellis Merton Coulter (1922). History of Kentucky. American Historical Society.