Idaho Statesman
Encyclopedia
The Idaho Statesman is a U.S.
daily newspaper serving the Boise
, Idaho
metropolitan area. The paper has a circulation of 61,000 daily, 83,038 Sunday, and employs about 300 people. It is owned by The McClatchy Company
.
The paper was first published as the Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman on July 26, 1864 by James S. Reynolds; it began publication from a log cabin on the current site of Boise City Hall. Reynolds owned and operated the paper for its first eight years, selling to Judge Milton Kelly in 1872. Kelly's 17-year run ended in 1888, with the expansion to daily publication, and a name change: The Idaho Daily Statesman.
That summer, Kelly sold the paper to the Cobb family - which went on to run the paper for 70 years. Calvin Cobb
published the Statesman until his death in 1928, when control was transferred to his daughter Margaret Cobb Ailshie
. The paper's history site says "Ailshie insisted on a lively editorial policy, deploring 'a dull newspaper.'" http://custserv.idahostatesman.com/CustSvc/history.asp
Cobb Ailshie died in 1959, and general manager James Brown took control of the paper. Federated Publications bought the Idaho Statesman in 1963. It joined five other publications in Washington, Indiana
, and Michigan
. Federated merged with Gannett in 1971. The paper moved to its current home on Curtis Road in Boise in 1972.
On the early morning of March 21, 2004, Idaho Statesman's pressroom caught on fire. The fire left two of the newspaper's nine press units severely damaged and two units partially destroyed. Newspapers from other cities chipped in and helped deliver papers to Boise. The cities included Nampa
, Homedale
and Twin Falls
in Idaho
; Ontario, Oregon
and even Reno, Nevada
.
On August 3, 2005 Gannett agreed to sell the Statesman to Knight Ridder
, along with the Bellingham Herald and The Olympian
newspaper of Olympia, Washington
. McClatchy
bought Knight Ridder in 2006.
Due to an economic recession in 2008 and 2009, and failing 36 year-old presses at the Curtis Road office, the Idaho Statesman signed a contract with the Idaho Press-Tribune to have them print the Idaho Statesman with their new presses. This contract will last 20 years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
daily newspaper serving the Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
metropolitan area. The paper has a circulation of 61,000 daily, 83,038 Sunday, and employs about 300 people. It is owned by The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
.
The paper was first published as the Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman on July 26, 1864 by James S. Reynolds; it began publication from a log cabin on the current site of Boise City Hall. Reynolds owned and operated the paper for its first eight years, selling to Judge Milton Kelly in 1872. Kelly's 17-year run ended in 1888, with the expansion to daily publication, and a name change: The Idaho Daily Statesman.
That summer, Kelly sold the paper to the Cobb family - which went on to run the paper for 70 years. Calvin Cobb
Calvin Cobb
Calvin Cobb was born July 15, 1853, in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in Chicago and worked with his father in the Cobb Library publishing house. During the 1880s he became involved in the livestock trade...
published the Statesman until his death in 1928, when control was transferred to his daughter Margaret Cobb Ailshie
Margaret Cobb Ailshie
Margaret Cobb Ailshie was a social belle, publisher, and social activist in Boise and Chicago.-Early years:...
. The paper's history site says "Ailshie insisted on a lively editorial policy, deploring 'a dull newspaper.'" http://custserv.idahostatesman.com/CustSvc/history.asp
Cobb Ailshie died in 1959, and general manager James Brown took control of the paper. Federated Publications bought the Idaho Statesman in 1963. It joined five other publications in Washington, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Federated merged with Gannett in 1971. The paper moved to its current home on Curtis Road in Boise in 1972.
On the early morning of March 21, 2004, Idaho Statesman's pressroom caught on fire. The fire left two of the newspaper's nine press units severely damaged and two units partially destroyed. Newspapers from other cities chipped in and helped deliver papers to Boise. The cities included Nampa
Nampa, Idaho
Nampa is the largest and the fastest growing city in Canyon County, Idaho, USA. The population of Nampa was 81,557 at the 2010 census. Nampa is located about west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles west of Meridian. Nampa is part of the Boise metropolitan area...
, Homedale
Homedale, Idaho
Homedale is a city in Owyhee County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2000 census. The town name was chosen by drawing names from a hat...
and Twin Falls
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
; Ontario, Oregon
Ontario, Oregon
Ontario is the largest city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It lies along the Snake River at the Idaho border. The population was 10,985 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 11,245 in 2006...
and even Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
.
On August 3, 2005 Gannett agreed to sell the Statesman to Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
, along with the Bellingham Herald and The Olympian
The Olympian
The Olympian is a McClatchy newspaper in Olympia, Washington, in the United States.-History:The Olympian started in 1860 as "The Washington Standard" a weekly paper. Daily papers did not start until February 1889. The Olympian started daily service as a way to lead the crusade to make Olympia the...
newspaper of Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
. McClatchy
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
bought Knight Ridder in 2006.
Due to an economic recession in 2008 and 2009, and failing 36 year-old presses at the Curtis Road office, the Idaho Statesman signed a contract with the Idaho Press-Tribune to have them print the Idaho Statesman with their new presses. This contract will last 20 years.
Publications
- Idaho Statesman daily newspaper
- Scene weekly entertainment tabloid
- IdahoStatesman.com Online news
- IDHealth magazine Quarterly health news