Mankato Free Press
Encyclopedia
The Free Press is a daily newspaper
published in Mankato
, Minnesota
.
Since that time, the 'mercheen' hasn't skipped a beat publishing more than 100 years serving the Mankato region.
The seminal publication actually was the Independent which began in 1857. Six years later, it was bought by Charles Slocum and named the Mankato Union. Then in 1880 the Union and its rival Mankato paper, the Record, merged and became the Mankato Weekly Free Press. It ran as a weekly until that fateful day in 1887 when it became a daily. It began as a conservative Republican newspaper remaining that way until modern days. In 1970, the newspaper dropped "Mankato" from its name. In 1940, the word "Daily" was eliminated 40 years earlier.
The last local owner of the paper was Jared How, who sold The Free Press Co. to Ottaway Newspapers Inc.
, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company
. Ottaway acquired 11 percent of the company in 1977 and the remainder in 1979. In 2002, Ottaway sold The Free Press and other papers to Community Newspaper Holdings
Inc.
On its 50th anniversary, The Free Press circulation was 12,000; today it stands at 22,629. It also publishes the Mankato Magazine, "MN Valley Business" magazine and The Land
a Minnesota farm and rural life publication. It also serves its readers through www.mankatofreepress.com which started in 1994 and now ranks as the No. 1 news website in the region. It was named the 2010 CNHI Newspaper of the Year.
, Nicollet
, Le Sueur
, Brown
, Waseca
and Watonwan
. The major cities of Mankato, North Mankato
, Waseca
, St. Peter
and Le Sueur
are also primary coverage areas. It also has wide coverage of local sports and Minnesota State University
in Mankato. It also is the publisher of Mankato Magazine (circulation 10,000), the MN Valley Business magazine and The Land
(circulation 35,000).
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...
published in Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
History
On April 4, 1887, Editor L.P. Hunt published the first issue of the Mankato Daily Free Press and found it was not easy. In an apology to his readers, Hunt wrote "The labor incident to getting out the initial number of a daily paper is vastly more trying than people not familiar with newspaper work and worry are aware of or can be devised of. The fact, therefore, that today's Daily Free Press is decidedly short on telegraphic, as well as some other matter, is no exception to the perplexities experienced by newspaper men and we feel sure the public will bear with us a day or two until the 'mercheen' is fairly oiled and put in good running order."Since that time, the 'mercheen' hasn't skipped a beat publishing more than 100 years serving the Mankato region.
The seminal publication actually was the Independent which began in 1857. Six years later, it was bought by Charles Slocum and named the Mankato Union. Then in 1880 the Union and its rival Mankato paper, the Record, merged and became the Mankato Weekly Free Press. It ran as a weekly until that fateful day in 1887 when it became a daily. It began as a conservative Republican newspaper remaining that way until modern days. In 1970, the newspaper dropped "Mankato" from its name. In 1940, the word "Daily" was eliminated 40 years earlier.
The last local owner of the paper was Jared How, who sold The Free Press Co. to Ottaway Newspapers Inc.
Ottaway Community Newspapers
Dow Jones Local Media Group, Inc., formerly Ottaway Community Newspapers, is a subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company, which is itself a subsidiary of News Corporation and owns newspapers, Web sites and niche publications in California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon and...
, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company
Dow Jones & Company
Dow Jones & Company is an American publishing and financial information firm.The company was founded in 1882 by three reporters: Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser. Like The New York Times and the Washington Post, the company was in recent years publicly traded but privately...
. Ottaway acquired 11 percent of the company in 1977 and the remainder in 1979. In 2002, Ottaway sold The Free Press and other papers to Community Newspaper Holdings
Community Newspaper Holdings
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. is a publisher of newspapers and advertising-related publications throughout the eastern part of the United States. The company was formed in 1997 by Ralph Martin, and is based in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is financed by the Retirement Systems of...
Inc.
On its 50th anniversary, The Free Press circulation was 12,000; today it stands at 22,629. It also publishes the Mankato Magazine, "MN Valley Business" magazine and The Land
The Land (magazine)
The Land is a weekly newspaper published in Mankato, Minnesota. It serves farmers, ranchers, rural residents and agribusiness across the entire state of Minnesota. Its two circulation zones, geographically covering approximately the southern one-third and northern two-thirds of the state, alternate...
a Minnesota farm and rural life publication. It also serves its readers through www.mankatofreepress.com which started in 1994 and now ranks as the No. 1 news website in the region. It was named the 2010 CNHI Newspaper of the Year.
Content
The Free Press news staff covers six counties -- Blue EarthBlue Earth County, Minnesota
Blue Earth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 64,013. Its county seat is Mankato.Blue Earth County is part of the Mankato–North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Nicollet
Nicollet County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,771 people, 10,642 households, and 7,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile . There were 11,240 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
, Le Sueur
Le Sueur County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,426 people, 9,630 households, and 6,923 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile . There were 10,858 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
, Brown
Brown County, Minnesota
Brown County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 25,893. Its county seat is New Ulm.-Geography:...
, Waseca
Waseca County, Minnesota
-External links:**...
and Watonwan
Watonwan County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,876 people, 4,627 households, and 3,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
. The major cities of Mankato, North Mankato
North Mankato, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,798 people, 4,744 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,502.5 people per square mile . There were 5,046 housing units at an average density of 1,070.3 per square mile...
, Waseca
Waseca, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,493 people, 3,388 households, and 2,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,215.6 people per square mile . There were 3,563 housing units at an average density of 929.5 per square mile...
, St. Peter
St. Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,196 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nicollet County.St...
and Le Sueur
Le Sueur, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,922 people, 1,545 households, and 1,025 families residing in the city. The population density was 879.0 people per square mile . There were 1,589 housing units at an average density of 356.1 per square mile...
are also primary coverage areas. It also has wide coverage of local sports and Minnesota State University
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato is a public four-year university located in Mankato, Minnesota, a community of 53,000 located southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul. As of Fall 2011, the student body is the third-largest in the state of Minnesota with over 15,000 students...
in Mankato. It also is the publisher of Mankato Magazine (circulation 10,000), the MN Valley Business magazine and The Land
The Land (magazine)
The Land is a weekly newspaper published in Mankato, Minnesota. It serves farmers, ranchers, rural residents and agribusiness across the entire state of Minnesota. Its two circulation zones, geographically covering approximately the southern one-third and northern two-thirds of the state, alternate...
(circulation 35,000).