Media in Omaha, Nebraska facts for kids

The Omaha metropolitan area is a busy place, and like any big city, it has many ways for people to get their news and entertainment. This includes newspapers, magazines, and online news sites. These different types of media help keep everyone in Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa informed about what's happening around them.

Newspapers and Magazines in Omaha

Newspapers have been a big part of Omaha's history for a long time. They helped people stay connected and learn about important events.

Early Newspapers: A Look Back

In the past, some of the most important newspapers in Omaha were the Omaha World-Herald, the Omaha Bee, and the Omaha Daily News. These papers helped shape how people got their news around 1900.

The African American community in Omaha also had many important newspapers. The very first one was called the Progress, started in 1889 by Ferdinand L. Barnett. Another paper, the Afro-American Sentinel, was started in 1892 by Cyrus D. Bell, who used to be a slave.

The front page of The Progress newspaper from June 1890.

In 1893, George F. Franklin began publishing the Enterprise. Later, Thomas P. Mahammitt took over. This paper lasted longer than many other early African American newspapers in Omaha.

The Omaha Monitor was very well-known and widely read. It started in 1915 and was run by Reverend John Albert Williams. It stopped publishing in 1929.

The front page of The Afro-American Sentinel from July 1898.

In 1906, Lucille Skaggs Edwards started a magazine called The Women's Aurora. She was the first black woman to publish a magazine in Nebraska. George Wells Parker, who helped create the Hamitic League of the World, also started a newspaper called the New Era in Omaha, which ran from 1920 to 1926.

The Omaha Guide was started in 1927 by B.V. and C.C. Galloway. It was a very large African American newspaper, with over 25,000 copies printed. It even had advertisers from all over the country. It was the biggest African American newspaper west of the Missouri River.

The cover of The Enterprise newspaper from April 1896.

The Omaha Star is a very important newspaper. It was founded by Mildred Brown in 1938. Today, it is still publishing and is the only African American newspaper in Omaha. It is also Nebraska's longest-running African American newspaper.

Newspapers and Magazines Today

Many newspapers and magazines are still published in the Omaha area today. They cover different topics and serve various interests.

• Daily Nonpareil: This newspaper serves Council Bluffs, Iowa and parts of western Iowa. It started way back in 1857.
• The Daily Record: This paper focuses on business and legal news in Omaha. It comes out every weekday and began in 1886.
• Food & Spirits: This magazine comes out four times a year. It's a guide to food, dining, drinks, and wine in the metro area.
• Heartland Messenger: This is a monthly newspaper that keeps an eye on local issues.
• metroMAGAZINE: This magazine covers lifestyle, dining, entertainment, and events in the greater Omaha area.
• Omaha City Weekly: This is an independent weekly news magazine.
• Omaha.Community: This website provides news and reports about Omaha neighborhoods. It covers schools, events, businesses, sports, and more.
• Omaha Magazine: A popular magazine about Omaha life.
• Omaha Star: As mentioned, this is Nebraska's longest-running and only African American newspaper, founded in 1938.
• Omaha World-Herald: This is Omaha's main daily newspaper.
• The Reader: This is a liberal independent weekly newspaper.
• Varsity View: This magazine has been sharing high school news since 2002.
• Velocity Magazine: This magazine focuses on youth culture.

Historic Newspapers: A Timeline

Many newspapers have come and gone throughout Omaha's history. Here are some of the important ones:

• Arrow: This was the very first newspaper in Omaha, started in 1854.
• Nebraskian: Also founded in 1854.
• Times: Started in 1857.
• Democrat: Began in 1858.
• Republican: Started in 1858 by Dr. Gilbert C. Monell.
• Telegraph: Founded in 1860.
• Daily Herald: Started in 1865 by Dr. George L. Miller.
• Daily Evening Tribune: Began in 1870 with Phineas W. Hitchcock as a main owner.
• Evening Bee: Started in 1871.
• Den Danske Pioneer: This newspaper, meaning The Danish Pioneer, was printed in Omaha from 1872 until 1958.
• Bee: Founded in 1874, it was later bought by the World-Herald in 1937 and then closed.
• The Evening World: Started in 1885 and bought The Daily Herald in 1889.
• The Progress: An African-American newspaper started in 1889 by Ferdinand L. Barnett.
• Afro-American Sentinel: An African-American newspaper founded in 1892 by Cyrus D. Bell.
• Enterprise: An African-American newspaper started in 1893 by George F. Franklin.
• The Women's Aurora: Founded in 1906 by Lucille Skaggs Edwards.
• Omaha Tribune: Started in 1912 as a national German-language weekly newspaper. The company that published it still operates in Omaha today as the Interstate Printing Company.
• Omaha Monitor: An African-American newspaper founded in 1915 by Father John Albert Williams.
• New Era: An African-American newspaper founded in 1920 by George Wells Parker.
• Omaha Guide: An African-American newspaper founded in 1927 by B.V. and C.C. Galloway.