Harte-Hanks
Encyclopedia
Harte-Hanks is an advertising and direct marketing company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas
. It is particularly associated with the publication of weekly shopper publications, with 13 million circulation weekly in 1100 separate editions of the PennySaver and Flyer each week in California
and Florida
, respectively. Harte-Hanks also manages PennySaverUSA.com, a nationwide network of local advertising content online for consumers and businesses.
and Bernard Hanks in 1923 as Harte-Hanks Newspapers (and later Harte-Hanks Communications), the company spent its first 50 years operating newspaper
s in Texas
. In 1968, the company relocated from Abilene to San Antonio. It made its first IPO on March 8, 1972, later diversifying into television
and radio
properties. In 1984, the company's managers took it private, later going public again in 1993. In the mid-1990s, the company withdrew from the newspaper and broadcasting business and focused solely on direct marketing and shopper publications.
and Harte's San Angelo Standard-Times
. Early acquisitions, in the 1920s and 1930s, included the Harlingen Star, Corpus Christi Times
, Big Spring Herald and Paris News, as well as two competing newspapers in Greenville, Texas
, which Harte-Hanks consolidated into the Herald-Banner
.
In 1962, the company, still a Texas-only affair, took full ownership of San Antonio Express-News
, its largest circulation newspaper. The Express-News was one of the first properties Harte-Hanks sold off, however, as it began to narrow its focus to smaller newspapers and eventually to direct marketing. Rupert Murdoch
paid $19 million for the Express-News in 1973.
The Abilene, Corpus Christi and San Angelo papers were among the last Harte-Hanks properties divested, sold to E.W. Scripps Company in May 1997.
, San Antonio's CBS
radio and television affiliates, as part of its acquisition of the Express-News. Harte-Hanks turned KENS from a perennial ratings also-ran to the market leader by 1968. In the 1970s, the newspaper-dominated company further diversified its holdings by purchasing a television and radio station in Anderson, South Carolina
, as well as television stations in Jacksonville, Florida
; Greensboro, North Carolina
; and Springfield, Missouri
. In 1978, Harte-Hanks bought radio stations formerly owned by Southern Broadcasting. Harte-Hanks in 1980 owned four television stations, 11 radio stations and four cable television systems, in addition to its newspapers. It sold off most of these assets in the mid-1980s, to pay down debt incurred in the leveraged buyout
that took the company private. Harte-Hanks continued to hold KENS until 1997, when it and the company's remaining newspaper properties were sold to Scripps.
By 1980, the company owned 29 daily and 68 weekly
newspapers, but its fastest growing division was Consumer Distribution Marketing, which included shoppers, market research firms and direct-mail distributors -- the future core of today's Harte-Hanks.
In 1995, Harte-Hanks sold to Community Newspaper Company
its interest in the Middlesex News, two other dailies, and associated weeklies in the western suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. It had owned the News since 1972 and bought the News-Tribune
and Daily Transcript
in 1986.
In 2006 Harte-Hanks acquired Global Address, a software company based in the UK that developed International Address Validation technology. Global Address was founded by Martin Turvey and Matthew Furneaux. Furneaux left Harte Hanks in 2007 to pursue other interests while Turvey remains. In 2008 Global Address was merged into Trillium Software.
Harte-Hanks owns Harte-Hanks Trillium software
. Also, Harte-Hanks provides customer service/technical support for selected products of major companies such as Microsoft
, FedEx
, Samsung
and Apple Inc.
In 2008 Harte-Hanks acquired Mason Zimbler. Mason Zimbler is the agency within Harte-Hanks that focuses specifically on marketing business and consumer technology, in the U.S. and around the world.
In 2008 Harte-Hanks acquired Strange & Dawson. Strange & Dawson is the agency within Harte-Hanks that focuses on lead generation, creative concept and design, media planning and buying, direct marketing, direct response and digital advertising.
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. It is particularly associated with the publication of weekly shopper publications, with 13 million circulation weekly in 1100 separate editions of the PennySaver and Flyer each week in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, respectively. Harte-Hanks also manages PennySaverUSA.com, a nationwide network of local advertising content online for consumers and businesses.
History
Founded by Houston HarteHouston Harte
Houston Harte founded, with Bernard Hanks, a regional chain of newspapers which eventually became the media company Harte-Hanks. His son was the newspaper executive, journalist, philanthropist, and conservationist Edward H...
and Bernard Hanks in 1923 as Harte-Hanks Newspapers (and later Harte-Hanks Communications), the company spent its first 50 years operating newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In 1968, the company relocated from Abilene to San Antonio. It made its first IPO on March 8, 1972, later diversifying into television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
properties. In 1984, the company's managers took it private, later going public again in 1993. In the mid-1990s, the company withdrew from the newspaper and broadcasting business and focused solely on direct marketing and shopper publications.
Texas newspapers
Harte-Hanks' first newspapers were Hanks' Abilene Reporter-NewsAbilene Reporter-News
Abilene Reporter-News is a daily newspaper based in Abilene, Texas, USA. The newspaper started publishing three months after Abilene was founded by C.E. Gilbert, effective June 17, 1881. It is hence the oldest continuous business in the city....
and Harte's San Angelo Standard-Times
San Angelo Standard-Times
San Angelo Standard-Times is a daily newspaper based in San Angelo, Texas, USA, since 1884. It is owned by the newspaper group, The E.W. Scripps Company....
. Early acquisitions, in the 1920s and 1930s, included the Harlingen Star, Corpus Christi Times
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times is the newspaper of record for Corpus Christi, Texas.-Brief history:There has been a newspaper in Corpus Christi for almost as long as there has been a town. In 1883, the Caller was started in a frame building at 310 North Chaparral, now the site of Green's Jewelers....
, Big Spring Herald and Paris News, as well as two competing newspapers in Greenville, Texas
Greenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
, which Harte-Hanks consolidated into the Herald-Banner
Herald-Banner
The Herald-Banner is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Greenville, Texas, covering Hunt County.The newspaper is published by Community Newspaper Holdings...
.
In 1962, the company, still a Texas-only affair, took full ownership of San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. It is ranked as the third-largest daily newspaper in the state of Texas in terms of circulation, and is one of the leading news sources of South Texas, with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Laredo, and Mexico City...
, its largest circulation newspaper. The Express-News was one of the first properties Harte-Hanks sold off, however, as it began to narrow its focus to smaller newspapers and eventually to direct marketing. Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
paid $19 million for the Express-News in 1973.
The Abilene, Corpus Christi and San Angelo papers were among the last Harte-Hanks properties divested, sold to E.W. Scripps Company in May 1997.
Television and radio
The company made its first foray into other media as early as 1962, when Harte-Hanks bought KENS-AM-TVKENS-TV
KENS is the CBS affiliate television station in San Antonio, Texas owned and operated by The Belo Corporation. Prior to late April 2010, KENS also managed UPN, later The CW, affiliate station KCWX through a local marketing agreement...
, San Antonio's CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
radio and television affiliates, as part of its acquisition of the Express-News. Harte-Hanks turned KENS from a perennial ratings also-ran to the market leader by 1968. In the 1970s, the newspaper-dominated company further diversified its holdings by purchasing a television and radio station in Anderson, South Carolina
Anderson, South Carolina
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was estimated at 26,242 in 2006, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 70,530...
, as well as television stations in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
; Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
; and Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
. In 1978, Harte-Hanks bought radio stations formerly owned by Southern Broadcasting. Harte-Hanks in 1980 owned four television stations, 11 radio stations and four cable television systems, in addition to its newspapers. It sold off most of these assets in the mid-1980s, to pay down debt incurred in the leveraged buyout
Leveraged buyout
A leveraged buyout occurs when an investor, typically financial sponsor, acquires a controlling interest in a company's equity and where a significant percentage of the purchase price is financed through leverage...
that took the company private. Harte-Hanks continued to hold KENS until 1997, when it and the company's remaining newspaper properties were sold to Scripps.
Television stations owned
| Market/City of License | Station | Years Owned | Current Affiliation/Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Anderson, South Carolina Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was estimated at 26,242 in 2006, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 70,530... /Greenville Greenville, South Carolina -Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families... /Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg, South Carolina thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of... /Asheville, North Carolina Asheville, North Carolina Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active... |
WAIM-TV 40 (now WMYA-TV WMYA-TV WMYA-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina licensed to Anderson, South Carolina. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 14 from a transmitter in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. The station can also be seen on... ) |
1972–78 | My Network TV affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair Broadcast Group The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of... |
| San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,... |
KENS-TV KENS-TV KENS is the CBS affiliate television station in San Antonio, Texas owned and operated by The Belo Corporation. Prior to late April 2010, KENS also managed UPN, later The CW, affiliate station KCWX through a local marketing agreement... 5 |
1962–97 | CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... affiliate owned by Belo Belo Belo Corp. is a Dallas-based media company that owns 20 commercial broadcasting television stations and two regional 24-hour cable news television channels. The company was previously known as A.H. Belo Corp. after one of the early owners of the company, Alfred Horatio Belo, now the name of the... Corporation |
| Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S... /High Point High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. As of 2010 the city had a total population of 104,371, according to the US Census Bureau. High Point is currently the eighth-largest municipality in North Carolina.... /Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to... |
WFMY-TV WFMY-TV WFMY-TV is a television station in Greensboro, North Carolina. Owned by the Gannett Company, WFMYis the CBS affiliate for the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem area... 2 |
1976–88 | CBS affiliate owned by Gannett Company Gannett Company Gannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend... |
| WGHP WGHP WGHP, channel 8, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, North Carolina designated market area... 8 |
1978 | Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... affiliate owned by Local TV Local TV Local TV LLC is a limited liability corporation, owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners , which operates 18 local network-affiliated television stations in the United States.-History:... |
|
| Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968... |
WTLV WTLV WTLV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Jacksonville, Florida. The station broadcasts a digital signal on VHF channel 13. The station is owned by Gannett as part of a duopoly with the area's ABC affiliate, WJXX. The two stations share studios located on East Adams Street in downtown near... 12 |
1975–88 | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... affiliate owned by Gannett Company |
| Springfield Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of... – Branson, Missouri Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s.... |
KYTV KYTV (TV) KYTV, virtual channel 3, is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Ozark Plateau area of Southwestern Missouri that is licensed to Springfield. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 44 from a transmitter in Fordland... 3 |
1978–87 | NBC affiliate owned by Schurz Communications Schurz Communications Schurz Communications is a South Bend, Indiana-based radio, television, cable tv and newspaper media group.-Cable Television Systems:*Antietam Cable, Hagerstown, Maryland *Advanced Cable Communications, Coral Springs, Florida... |
Other newspapers
At the time of the first IPO in 1972, the firm owned properties in 19 markets, spread around six states.By 1980, the company owned 29 daily and 68 weekly
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
newspapers, but its fastest growing division was Consumer Distribution Marketing, which included shoppers, market research firms and direct-mail distributors -- the future core of today's Harte-Hanks.
In 1995, Harte-Hanks sold to Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, a subsidiary of GateHouse Media, is a newspaper publisher in eastern Massachusetts. It was founded in 1991 as a holding company for several suburban publishers bought by Fidelity Investments; in 2001, Fidelity sold it to the Boston Herald; in 2006, the massive chain—New...
its interest in the Middlesex News, two other dailies, and associated weeklies in the western suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. It had owned the News since 1972 and bought the News-Tribune
The Daily News Tribune
The Daily News Tribune is a five-day afternoon daily newspaper in Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S., covering that city and the neighboring city of Newton.The Tribune is managed and printed by The MetroWest Daily News...
and Daily Transcript
The Daily News Transcript
The Daily News Transcript is a five-day afternoon daily newspaper in Norwood, Massachusetts, U.S., covering the Neponset Valley of Norfolk County, Massachusetts...
in 1986.
Other Businesses
Harte-Hanks also owns the Aberdeen Group a provider of business-related research services, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.In 2006 Harte-Hanks acquired Global Address, a software company based in the UK that developed International Address Validation technology. Global Address was founded by Martin Turvey and Matthew Furneaux. Furneaux left Harte Hanks in 2007 to pursue other interests while Turvey remains. In 2008 Global Address was merged into Trillium Software.
Harte-Hanks owns Harte-Hanks Trillium software
Trillium software
Trillium Software is located in Billerica, Massachusetts, United States. It is a division of Harte-Hanks . The company is rated by industry analyst Gartner among the leaders in the data quality space, as depicted by the Gartner data quality magic quadrant...
. Also, Harte-Hanks provides customer service/technical support for selected products of major companies such as Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, FedEx
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
, Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
and Apple Inc.
In 2008 Harte-Hanks acquired Mason Zimbler. Mason Zimbler is the agency within Harte-Hanks that focuses specifically on marketing business and consumer technology, in the U.S. and around the world.
In 2008 Harte-Hanks acquired Strange & Dawson. Strange & Dawson is the agency within Harte-Hanks that focuses on lead generation, creative concept and design, media planning and buying, direct marketing, direct response and digital advertising.