Rocky Mountain News facts for kids
The last front page of the Rocky Mountain News, printed February 27, 2009
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
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| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | E. W. Scripps Company, Operated by Denver Newspaper Agency |
| Publisher | John Temple |
| Founded | April 23, 1859 |
| Ceased publication | February 27, 2009 |
| Headquarters | 101 West Colfax Ave. Suite 500 Denver, CO 80202 United States |
| Circulation | 255,427 daily (March 2006) 704,806 Sunday (March 2006) |
The Rocky Mountain News (often called the Rocky) was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States. It started on April 23, 1859, and printed its last issue on February 27, 2009. The E. W. Scripps Company owned the newspaper from 1926 until it closed.
In March 2006, about 255,427 copies were printed each weekday. From the 1940s until it closed, the newspaper was printed in a smaller, easy-to-handle tabloid size.
Under its leader, John Temple, the Rocky Mountain News won four Pulitzer Prizes since 2000. These awards are very important for journalism. In 2006, the newspaper won two Pulitzers for its writing and photography. The Rocky's last issue came out just before its 150th birthday. After it closed, The Denver Post became the only major daily newspaper left in Denver.
Contents
History of the Rocky Mountain News
Starting the Newspaper
The Rocky Mountain News was founded by William N. Byers and John L. Dailey. They started it on April 23, 1859. At that time, Denver was part of the Kansas Territory. The city of Denver had not even been officially formed yet.
The Rocky became Colorado's oldest newspaper. It might also be the longest-running business in the state. Its first issue was printed using a press brought by oxcart from Omaha, Nebraska. This happened during the exciting time of the Colorado Gold Rush. Elizabeth "Libby" Byers, William's wife, helped bring the press. She also worked as a co-publisher and journalist. The first issue was printed only 20 minutes before a rival newspaper, the Cherry Creek Pioneer.
The Rocky began as a weekly newspaper. It became a daily newspaper in August 1860. Then, in July 1870, it changed from being an evening paper to a morning paper.
Jack Foster's Impact
The E. W. Scripps Company bought the Rocky Mountain News in 1926. For a while, the Rocky and other newspapers, like The Denver Post, tried different ways to get more readers. They even gave away gasoline! By the early 1940s, the Rocky was struggling and almost closed down.
Jack Foster, who was the editor then, saved the paper. He convinced Scripps to change the newspaper's size. It went from a large broadsheet to a smaller tabloid design. Foster believed the new size would be easier for people to hold and read. It also made advertising more affordable for businesses.
Jack Foster's wife, Frances, started America's first "advice" column. It was called Molly Mayfield. Readers loved it right away. Soon, many other newspapers started their own advice columns. This led to famous columnists like Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren.
Working Together: Joint Operating Agreement
The Rocky and The Post were big rivals for a long time. This competition almost caused both papers to go out of business. So, in 2001, they decided to work together. They formed a joint operating agreement. This agreement created the Denver Newspaper Agency.
The new company handled all the business parts of both newspapers. This included advertising and getting the papers to readers. The E. W. Scripps Company and MediaNews Group (which owned The Post) owned the agency equally.
Even though they worked together on business, the two newspapers still published their own news. The Rocky Mountain News was printed on Saturdays, and The Denver Post on Sundays. Each paper would have one page of editorials in the other paper's weekend edition. They kept their rivalry going. The Rocky was generally seen as more politically conservative than the Post.
New Look and Closure
On January 23, 2007, the Rocky Mountain News changed its design. It became smaller, more like a magazine. It had more color pages and photos. There were full-page photo covers and a new logo. This new design was possible because of new printing presses. These presses could print about 25% faster than the old ones. They printed around 60,000 newspapers every hour.
On December 4, 2008, the E. W. Scripps Company announced it wanted to sell the News. Many people thought this meant the paper might close. On February 26, 2009, Scripps announced that the Rocky Mountain News would print its last edition the very next day. They said the newspaper's name, old articles, and website would be sold separately.
After the Rocky closed, The Post became Denver's only daily newspaper. It went back to publishing seven days a week. A few years later, a study found that people in Denver became less involved in community activities after the Rocky closed.
Awards and Achievements
The Rocky Mountain News won many important awards for its journalism.
In 2000, the newspaper's photo team won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. They won for their powerful photos taken after the sad student shootings at Columbine High School.
In 2002, the Rocky won more first-place awards than any other newspaper in the Western United States.
In 2003, the photography team won another Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. This time, it was for their strong and creative photos of Colorado's big forest fires. The paper also won the Colorado Press Association's General Excellence Award. This award is for the best large daily newspaper in Colorado, and the Rocky won it for the eighth year in a row.
The photo and design teams also won 25 awards from the Society for News Design. They were ranked eighth in the world for design. They also won nine awards from the National Press Photographers Association and six from Pictures of the Year International.
In 2006, Jim Sheeler from the Rocky Mountain News won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. He won for his special report called "Final Salute." This story was about a Marine major who helped families deal with the loss of loved ones in Iraq. Todd Heisler won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in the same year for his photos in that same report.
Images for kids
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The very last front page of the Rocky Mountain News, printed on February 27, 2009.
See also
In Spanish: Rocky Mountain News para niños
