Oakland Tribune facts for kids
The July 27, 2005 front page
of The Oakland Tribune |
|
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Digital First Media |
| Founder(s) | George Staniford and Benet A. Dewes |
| Publisher | Sharon Ryan |
| Founded | February 21, 1874 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | 2016 |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Sister newspapers | The Mercury News, East Bay Times |
| ISSN | 1068-5936 |
| OCLC number | 760300116 |
The Oakland Tribune was a newspaper published in Oakland, California. It was a very important newspaper in the East Bay region. The Tribune started in 1874 and became a well-known daily newspaper.
Over time, fewer people bought print newspapers. So, in 2016, the Tribune and other newspapers owned by the same company joined together. They became a new newspaper called the East Bay Times. The old names, like the Oakland Tribune, are still used for weekly community sections.
Oakland Voices is another group that came from the Tribune. It works with the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education to help local people tell their stories.
Contents
How the Oakland Tribune Started
The Tribune began on February 21, 1874. It was started by George Staniford and Benet A. Dewes. The first paper was called the Oakland Daily Tribune. It had four pages and was quite small.
Staniford and Dewes gave out the first copies for free. The paper included news stories and many advertisements. They wanted to create a lasting newspaper that would get its money from ads.
Later that year, Staniford sold his share to Dewes. The paper moved to a new location in 1875. In 1876, Dewes and his partner sold the Tribune to a new owner.
The William Dargie Years
The Tribune grew a lot under William E. Dargie. He bought the paper on July 24, 1876. He created The Tribune Publishing Company.
Under Dargie, the Tribune became a strong supporter of the Republican political party. Dargie was very good at bringing new ideas to the newspaper. In 1876, he added news from wire services. These services sent news quickly over telegraph lines. In 1878, the Tribune got one of the first telephones in Oakland.
The newspaper also added a Saturday edition in 1883. They printed special editions and extra papers for big events like presidential elections. On August 28, 1891, the paper officially became the Oakland Tribune.
The Tribune was one of the first members of the Associated Press when it started in 1900. Dargie also hired Jack Gunin, who was the first full-time photojournalist (a photographer who takes pictures for news stories) in the Western United States. In 1906, the Tribune started printing a Sunday edition.
The 1906 Earthquake
A huge earthquake and fire hit San Francisco on April 18, 1906. Many newspapers there were destroyed. The Tribune in Oakland printed many special editions to share the news.
William Dargie even let other San Francisco newspapers use the Tribune's printing presses. The Mayor of San Francisco, Eugene E. Schmitz, said the Oakland Tribune was the official San Francisco newspaper during that time.
Many people moved from San Francisco to Oakland after the earthquake. This helped the Tribune get more readers. William E. Dargie passed away on February 10, 1911, after leading the paper for 35 years.
The Knowland Family Takes Over
After serving in the United States House of Representatives, Joseph R. Knowland bought the Oakland Tribune in 1915. He promised that the newspaper would show its worth through its actions, not just promises.
Knowland moved the Tribune to a new building in 1918. Under his leadership, the Tribune became one of the three most important Republican newspapers in California. The Tribune supported Republican candidates. Joseph R. Knowland helped many politicians, including his own son, William F. Knowland, and Earl Warren.
In 1921, Knowland started a radio station called KLX. The famous 305-foot tall Tribune Tower was finished in 1923. The Tribune moved its main offices into this landmark tower in 1924.
The Tribune Publishing Corporation was created in 1928. This company owned the newspaper, the radio station, and other businesses. In the 1930s, the Tribune started getting news photos directly from the Associated Press. It also had a direct connection for international news from London.
The newspaper's logo showed Oakland as a port connecting to the world. The logo changed over time to show new ways of travel, like the Bay Bridge, diesel engines, and jet airplanes.
By 1950, the Tribune became the only daily newspaper in Oakland. Its competitor, the Oakland Post Enquirer, stopped publishing.
In 1960, Joseph R. Knowland's son, William F. Knowland, became the editor. He had been helping his father since 1933. When his father passed away in 1966 at age 92, William F. Knowland became the president and publisher. His son, Joseph William Knowland, became the vice-president.
Under William F. Knowland, the Tribune was known for its conservative views and supporting businesses. However, Oakland was changing, with more diverse people and new political ideas. The Tribune found it hard to keep up with these changes.
The number of people reading the Tribune started to go down in the 1960s. Many of its readers moved to new suburbs outside Oakland.
In 1973, William F. Knowland wrote that every city needs a way for its people to communicate. On February 21, 1974, the Tribune celebrated its 100th anniversary. Two days later, William F. Knowland passed away. His son, Joseph William Knowland, became the editor and publisher.
Joseph W. Knowland was honored as "Publisher of the Year" in 1975. This was for his new ideas in how the newspaper worked and looked.
New Owners: CCC and Gannett
In 1977, the Knowland Family sold the Oakland Tribune to Combined Communications Corporation (CCC). In 1979, CCC joined with a larger company called Gannett Company. So, the Tribune became part of Gannett.
Gannett used the Tribune to try out a new morning paper called East Bay Today. This was an early version of Gannett's famous national newspaper, USA Today. In 1979, Robert C. Maynard became the editor of the Tribune. He was the first African-American editor in the paper's history.
In 1983, Maynard and his wife, Nancy Hicks Maynard, bought the Tribune from Gannett. This was a very important moment because it was the first time a major city newspaper was owned by an African-American. This was especially meaningful because Oakland had a growing African-American community. Maynard helped improve the paper's reputation, and it won a Pulitzer Prize in 1990.
Challenges and Changes
Even with its success, the Tribune faced money problems. In 1991, it was in debt and almost had to close. The Freedom Forum, a media foundation, helped save the paper by paying off its debt and giving money for operations.
However, the financial problems continued. Also, in 1992, Robert Maynard became very ill. This led the Maynards to decide to sell the Tribune.
The Tribune Tower was damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. The newspaper moved its offices to Jack London Square. The Tower was empty for a while but was later bought and fixed up. The Tribune moved back into the Tower in 1999.
ANG and the End of Daily Publication
On October 15, 1992, the Alameda Newspaper Group (now called the Bay Area News Group) bought the Tribune. This group already published other local newspapers. The last daily Tribune issue under the Maynards was printed on November 30, 1992. The next day, the paper was printed at the new owner's plant.
The Tribune also started to go online. The official website for the Oakland Tribune and other newspapers in the group was InsideBayArea.com.
In 2007, the Tribune moved its offices permanently from the Tribune Tower to a new location. The Tribune Tower is still a famous landmark in Oakland.
On August 2, 2007, a former Tribune journalist named Chauncey Bailey was tragically killed. This led the Tribune to start "The Chauncey Bailey Project." This was a series of articles about the reasons and results of his death.
In 2011, there was a plan to combine the Tribune with other newspapers. But the company decided to keep The Oakland Tribune name for a while longer.
On August 30, 2012, the Tribune moved its offices again to a new spot in Oakland.
The very last daily edition of the Tribune was published on April 4, 2016. After that, it joined with other newspapers like the Contra Costa Times and Hayward Daily Review to become the new East Bay Times.
Oakland Voices
Oakland Voices started in 2010. It was a project between the Oakland Tribune and The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. This program trains people in Oakland to tell stories about their own neighborhoods. Oakland Voices and its writers have been recognized by groups like the Society of Professional Journalists. You can find their stories online at www.oaklandvoices.us.
Pulitzer Prizes
The Oakland Tribune won the Pulitzer Prize twice.
- In 1950, it won for a photograph of a small plane almost hitting a large B-29 Superfortress airplane.
- In 1990, it won for photographs taken after the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989.
Images for kids
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"Near Collision at Air Show", the Pulitzer Prize-winning work by Tribune photographer Bill Crouch
