Timeline of newspapers in Birmingham

This is a Timeline of newspapers in Birmingham, covering the founding, merging, and dissolution of newspapers in the Birmingham District.

19th Century

1845

• The Jones Valley Times began publication.

1847

• The Jones Valley Times ceased publication.

1849

• The Central Alabamian, was published by Baylis Grace and Joseph Smith.

1850

• Moses Lancaster took over publication of the Central Alabamian.

1853

• Tuscaloosa merchant John Cantley established the Elyton Herald.

1869

• Henry Hale purchased the weekly Elyton Herald
• Robert Henley established the Elyton Sun

1871

• Henry Hale moved the Elyton Herald to Birmingham and renamed it the Birmingham Herald
• Robert Henley bought the Birmingham Herald and renamed it the Birmingham Sun.
• Thomas McLaughlin and James Matthews purchased the Sun and renamed it The Jefferson Independent.

1873

• Frank Duval, Eugene McGaw and Frank O'Brien founded the Birmingham Daily Item

1874

• February 12: The Birmingham Iron Age, a weekly, published its first edition.

1881

• The Alabama Christian Advocate edited by W. C. McCoy, began as a 4-page weekly newspaper of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
• December 3: W. C. Garrett and Frank V. Evans, owners of the Birmingham Iron Age, launched a daily newspaper known as The Daily Age.

1883

• Frank Evans resigned from the Daily Age for health reasons, but soon launched The Birmingham Chronicle with editor George Cruikshank.
• The Weekly Pilot was founded.

1884

• May 1: The Birmingham Iron Age changed its nameplate to The Weekly Iron Age.
• The Weekly Pilot failed.

1886

• E. N. Edmonds began publishing the weekly The Labor Union for the Knights of Labor.
• C. M. Gardner began publishing the 8-page weekly Manufacturer and Tradesman.
• Tom Ellis began publishing the 4-page weekly Saturday Hornet, covering labor issues.
• Benjamin Robinson began publishing the 8-page weekly Sunday Morning Argus as a Democratic Party instrument.
• September: R. C. O. Benjamin began publishing the weekly Negro American each Saturday.

1887

• July 24: George H. Johnson began publishing the weekly The Birmingham Sunday Morning Star.
• August 3: William Pinckard began publishing The Daily Herald.

1888

• March 14: After leaving his position as editor of the Herald, Rufus Rhodes began publishing The Evening News.
• November 8: The Daily Age and Daily Herald merged to form The Birmingham Age-Herald.
• The American Citizen was founded.

1889

• The Evening News became The Daily News.

1890

• April: The Birmingham Chronicle (The Birmingham Evening Chronicle and The Birmingham Sunday Chronicle) ceased publication.
• The American Citizen failed.

1891

• The weekly Negro American ceased publication.

1892

• The Birmingham Ledger was established, published by E. B. Powell and T. A. Wiggs.

1895

• The Daily News became The Birmingham News.

1896

• The Birmingham Ledger became The Daily Ledger.
• The Birmingham Age-Herald was sold to rival The Daily State and became the Daily State Herald.

1898

• Edward Barrett bought the Daily State Herald and changed the name back to The Birmingham Age-Herald.

20th Century

1902

• The Daily Ledger returned to its earlier name, The Birmingham Ledger.

1906

• Oscar Adams Sr founded the African-American weekly Birmingham Reporter.

1910

• Upon Rufus Rhodes' death, Victor Hanson bought The Birmingham News.
• Howle's Iconoclast began publication.

1913

• Howle's Iconoclast ceased publication.

1920

• April 18: The Birmingham News acquired The Birmingham Ledger.

1921

• January: Ed Leech and Scripps-Howard launched The Birmingham Post.

1927

• Victor Hanson purchased the Age-Herald, publishing it in the morning and The Birmingham News in the evenings. On Sundays, a joint Birmingham News Age-Herald edition was distributed.

1928

• The Shades Valley Times began publication, covering Homewood.

1929

• The Shades Valley Times ceased publication.
• The Homewood Herald began publication.

1934

• The Birmingham Reporter ceased publication.

1945

• March: Victor Hanson died. His nephew, Clarence Hanson, Jr, assumed control of the News.
• July 12 to August 14: Publication of the News, Post and Age-Herald were suspended due to a printers' strike.
• The Five Points Star alternative newspaper hit the stands for 5¢ a copy.

1950

• May 15: The Age-Herald was sold to Scripps-Howard, publishers of the Post. The two papers merged to become the Birmingham Post-Herald. The new paper had a joint operating agreement with Hanson's News such that circulation, advertising and printing were provided by The Birmingham News Company. The Post-Herald was published Monday through Saturday mornings while the News was published in the evenings and Sunday. Publication of the joint Birmingham News Age-Herald edition on Sundays is ceased.

1955

• Newhouse purchased The Birmingham News, but Hanson continued as publisher.

1964

• The Birmingham Times was founded by Jesse Lewis.

1970

• The North Jefferson News was founded as a weekly.

1973

• The Paperman alternative newspaper was founded.

1974

• The Paperman alternative newspaper folded.

1975

• Southern Style alternative newspaper was founded.

1977

• Southern Style alternative newspaper folded.

1978

• Bozart alternative newspaper was founded.

1979

• Bozart alternative newspaper folded.

1983

• The Western Star was founded, covering Bessemer and western Jefferson County.
• Blue Note alternative newspaper was founded.
• Red Mountain Press alternative newspaper was founded.

1984

• Blue Note alternative newspaper folded.
• Red Mountain Press alternative newspaper folded.

1985

• Fun & Stuff alternative newspaper was founded.

1987

• I Cover the War alternative newspaper was founded.

1988

• The Homewood Independent began publication.

1989

• I Cover the War alternative newspaper folded.

1996

• August 5: Under the latest extension of their joint operating agreement, the Post-Herald and News switched their morning/evening publication times.

1997

• Birmingham Weekly alternative newspaper began publication.

1998

• Fun & Stuff alternative newspaper folded.

21st Century

2005

• September 23: The final edition of the Birmingham Post-Herald was published as E. W. Scripps (previously Scripps-Howard) closed the paper.

2006

• June 7: The Hoover Gazette began publication.

2007

• August 15: The Hoover Gazette published its final edition.
• May 16: The Western Tribune began publication, covering Bessemer and western Jefferson County.
• The North Jefferson News began publishing twice a week.

2009

• Victor Hanson III retired from The Birmingham News, marking the end of the Hanson family's century as publisher.
• Trussville Tribune began weekly publication.

2010

• March: The Western Tribune ceased publication.

2011

• Weld began publication.
• The Leeds News was closed by owner Community Newspaper Holdings.

2012

• The North Jefferson News changed back from semi-weekly publication to weekly.
• October 1: The Birmingham News cut publication from daily to three days a week.

2016

• The Birmingham Times was sold to the Foundation for Progress in Journalism.

References

• Dubose, John Witherspoon (1887) Jefferson County and Birmingham, Alabama: Historical and Biographical Birmingham: Teeple & Smith, Publishers; Caldwell Printing Works.
• Rowell, George P., ed. (1887) American Newspaper Directory. Vol. 19. New York. Geo. P. Rowell & Co.