Timeline of newspapers in Birmingham
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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
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.
1874
- February 12: The Birmingham Iron Age, a weekly, published its first edition.
1881
- 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.
1884
- May 1: The Birmingham Iron Age changed its nameplate to The Weekly Iron Age.
1887
- 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.
1889
- The Evening News became The Daily News.
1890
- April: The Birmingham Chronicle (The Birmingham Evening Chronicle and The Birmingham Sunday Chronicle) 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.
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.
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.
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.