Portland Press Herald
Encyclopedia
The Portland Press Herald (and Maine Sunday Telegram; collectively known as The Portland Newspapers) publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine
, USA. Serving the state's largest and most commercially important city, as well as much of southern Maine
, the Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram form the largest-circulation newsroom in Maine.
The Portland Newspapers throughout most of the 20th century were the cornerstone of Guy Gannett Communications
's media holdings. In 1998, the local owner sold the papers to Blethen Maine Newspapers, part of the Seattle Times
family of newspapers, owned by the Blethen family, which has Maine roots but is now based in Washington.
On Monday, March 17, 2008, the Press Herald released a smaller, 2-section newspaper (in contrast to its traditional 4+ section paper). A brief editorial highlighted advertising concerns and said the other sections could be found online. The next day, The Seattle Times Company
, parent company of Blethen Maine Newspapers, announced that it was putting the Press Herald and its other Maine newspaper properties up for sale.
After more than a year on the market, the papers were sold to MaineToday Media, Inc, headed by Richard L. Connor, publisher of The Times Leader
in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
on July 15, 2009. Mr. Connor received financing from HM Capital Partners and Citizens Bank
. It was announced the next day that the newspaper's downtown buildings would be put up for sale and that the majority of the paper's offices would be moved to the printing plant in South Portland. It was later reported that the company's headquarters would move to One City Center in downtown Portland.
, Biddeford
, Bath
, and Washington, DC; all were closed in July, 2008
The papers continue to operate six circulation depots, in South Portland
, Windham
, Yarmouth
, Bath
, Saco
and Sanford, Maine
. The daily Press Herald circulates six days per week in five counties: Cumberland
, Knox
, Lincoln
, Sagadahoc
and York
. On Sundays, the Maine Sunday Telegram is sold statewide.
MaineToday Media, Inc also owns the Central Maine Newspapers, publisher of the Morning Sentinel
in Waterville
and the Kennebec Journal
in Augusta
; and Maine Community Publications, which publishes The Maine Switch, a free weekly lifestyle magazine serving Greater Portland, and The Coastal Journal, a community newspaper serving the Bath
-Brunswick
area. The Maine Switch suspended publication after the August 6, 2009 issuehttp://themaineswitch.com/story/so-long-now-switch; in April 2011 it was replaced by an over-run of free copies of the arts-oriented "Go" section from the Thursday Press Herald. That over-run was suspended November 2011.
. Notable alumni of the paper include longtime Washington correspondent May Craig and current Boston Herald
sports columnist Steve Buckley
.
Its editorial board was once generally viewed to have center-left political views. It endorsed the 2003 Iraq War, but has since criticized the war's execution. In Maine's 2006 campaign for governor
it endorsed John Baldacci
, the incumbent Democrat
, who was reelected. In the 2004 presidential election
, the paper endorsed Democrat John Kerry
, who won Maine but lost the national election. In 2008
, it endorsed Barack Obama
, who won both Maine and the general election.
However, under Richard Connor, the paper has moved sharply to the right, causing some in relatively liberal Portland to abandon the paper in favor of the city's free daily newspaper
, The Portland Daily Sun
or for the Bangor Daily News
, which has moved into the Portland market. In 2010, it endorsed conservative Republican candidates (Dean Scontras and Jason Levesque) in both of Maine's congressional districts, both of whom deny that global climate change is caused by human activity. Both were also vehemently pro-life. They were both defeated by the Democratic incumbents, Chellie Pingree
and Mike Michaud
. For Maine's gubernatorial election that same year
, it endorsed moderate Independent former Democrat Eliot Cutler
, a close friend of Connor, who came in second with 34% of the vote.
On October 28, 2011, the resignation of Connor was announced effective December 31, 2011.
The domain name Portland.com was originally the Web address for the papers, but was sold to a marketing firm and became a visitor's guide for the city of Portland, Oregon
in May 2004.
, which listed the sermon as "The Only Way to Destroy the Jewish Race". This caused outrage in Greater Portland's Jewish Community and led to an apology by the minister of that church.
However, less than two weeks later, People's Choice Credit Union ran an ad in the February 14, 2007 edition of the Press Herald that depicted a bearded "Fee Bandit" that resembled a Hasidic Jew, eager to take people's money. This incident prompted investigations by the Anti-Defamation League
; Steven Wessler, director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence and the person in charge of dealing with hate crimes in the state; and the Jewish Community Alliance. The newspaper's management later apologized for printing the advertisements in question without checking them first, and said it they would scrutinize ad content more closely before printing.
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, USA. Serving the state's largest and most commercially important city, as well as much of southern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, the Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram form the largest-circulation newsroom in Maine.
The Portland Newspapers throughout most of the 20th century were the cornerstone of Guy Gannett Communications
Guy Gannett Communications
Guy Gannett Communications -- no relation to the larger Gannett communications chain -- was a family-owned business consisting of newspapers in Maine and a handful of television stations in the eastern United States. The company was founded by its namesake, Guy P...
's media holdings. In 1998, the local owner sold the papers to Blethen Maine Newspapers, part of the Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
family of newspapers, owned by the Blethen family, which has Maine roots but is now based in Washington.
On Monday, March 17, 2008, the Press Herald released a smaller, 2-section newspaper (in contrast to its traditional 4+ section paper). A brief editorial highlighted advertising concerns and said the other sections could be found online. The next day, The Seattle Times Company
The Seattle Times Company
The Seattle Times Company is a privately owned publisher of daily and weekly newspapers in the U.S. state of Washington. Founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1896, the company is now in its fourth and fifth generations of ownership by the Blethen family....
, parent company of Blethen Maine Newspapers, announced that it was putting the Press Herald and its other Maine newspaper properties up for sale.
After more than a year on the market, the papers were sold to MaineToday Media, Inc, headed by Richard L. Connor, publisher of The Times Leader
The Times Leader
The Times Leader is a privately owned newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.Founded in 1879, it was locally owned until being purchased by Capital Cities in 1978...
in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
on July 15, 2009. Mr. Connor received financing from HM Capital Partners and Citizens Bank
Citizens Financial Group
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is an American bank headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, which operates in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Citizens is a wholly owned...
. It was announced the next day that the newspaper's downtown buildings would be put up for sale and that the majority of the paper's offices would be moved to the printing plant in South Portland. It was later reported that the company's headquarters would move to One City Center in downtown Portland.
Statewide reach
The Portland Newspapers formerly maintained news bureaus in AugustaAugusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
, Biddeford
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...
, Bath
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, and Washington, DC; all were closed in July, 2008
The papers continue to operate six circulation depots, in South Portland
South Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
, Windham
Windham, Maine
Windham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 17,001 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of South Windham and North Windham...
, Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Maine
Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, located approximately ten to fifteen miles north of Portland. Its population was 8,349 at the 2010 census....
, Bath
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, Saco
Saco, Maine
Saco is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,482 at the 2010 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General Dynamics Armament Systems , a subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics...
and Sanford, Maine
Sanford, Maine
Sanford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,798 in the 2010 census, the highest of the York County towns, and the 8th largest in the state. Situated on the Mousam River, Sanford includes the village of Springvale...
. The daily Press Herald circulates six days per week in five counties: Cumberland
Cumberland County, Maine
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 281,674. Its county seat is Portland, and is the most populous of the sixteen Maine counties, as well as the most affluent. Cumberland County has the deepest and second largest body of water in the...
, Knox
Knox County, Maine
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 39,736. Its county seat is Rockland. The county is named for American Revolutionary War general and Secretary of War Henry Knox, who lived in the county from 1795 until his death in 1806. The county was...
, Lincoln
Lincoln County, Maine
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 34,457. Its county seat is Wiscasset. It was founded in 1760 and named after the English city Lincoln. At its founding, it accounted for three-fifths of the State's land, and stretched east to Nova...
, Sagadahoc
Sagadahoc County, Maine
Sagadahoc County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 35,293. Its county seat is Bath. In total area, it is the smallest county in Maine....
and York
York County, Maine
York County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, the population was 197,131. Its county seat is Alfred.Founded in 1636, it is the oldest county in Maine and one of the oldest in the United States....
. On Sundays, the Maine Sunday Telegram is sold statewide.
MaineToday Media, Inc also owns the Central Maine Newspapers, publisher of the Morning Sentinel
Morning Sentinel
The Morning Sentinel is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Waterville, Maine, USA. From 1998 to 2009, it was owned by Blethen Maine Newspapers, a subsidiary of The Seattle Times Company. It was then sold to MaineToday Media. The newspaper covers cities and towns in parts of Kennebec...
in Waterville
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
and the Kennebec Journal
Kennebec Journal
The Kennebec Journal is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Augusta, Maine. From 1998 to 2009, it was owned by Blethen Maine Newspapers, a subsidiary of The Seattle Times Company. It was then sold to MaineToday Media. The newspaper covers the capital area and southern Kennebec...
in Augusta
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
; and Maine Community Publications, which publishes The Maine Switch, a free weekly lifestyle magazine serving Greater Portland, and The Coastal Journal, a community newspaper serving the Bath
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
-Brunswick
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
area. The Maine Switch suspended publication after the August 6, 2009 issuehttp://themaineswitch.com/story/so-long-now-switch; in April 2011 it was replaced by an over-run of free copies of the arts-oriented "Go" section from the Thursday Press Herald. That over-run was suspended November 2011.
History
The Press Herald, founded in 1862 on Congress StreetCongress Street (Portland, Maine)
Congress Street is the main street in Portland, Maine. Congress stretches from Portland's southwestern border with South Portland through a number of neighborhoods before ending overlooking the Eastern Promenade on Munjoy Hill...
. Notable alumni of the paper include longtime Washington correspondent May Craig and current Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
sports columnist Steve Buckley
Steve Buckley (journalist)
Steve Buckley is an Irish American journalist. He has been a regular columnist with the Boston Herald since 1995, contributing to the paper's Sports section. His columns often use historical perspective drawn from a diverse variety of sources. He joined Boston Sports radio station WEEI in 1993 and...
.
Its editorial board was once generally viewed to have center-left political views. It endorsed the 2003 Iraq War, but has since criticized the war's execution. In Maine's 2006 campaign for governor
Maine gubernatorial election, 2006
The Maine gubernatorial election of 2006 took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat John Baldacci was then re-elected to his second term....
it endorsed John Baldacci
John Baldacci
John Elias Baldacci is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of the U.S. state of Maine from 2003 until 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003....
, the incumbent Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, who was reelected. In the 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, the paper endorsed Democrat John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
, who won Maine but lost the national election. In 2008
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, it endorsed Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, who won both Maine and the general election.
However, under Richard Connor, the paper has moved sharply to the right, causing some in relatively liberal Portland to abandon the paper in favor of the city's free daily newspaper
Free daily newspaper
Free daily newspapers are distributed free of charge, either in central places in cities and towns, or with other newspapers. The revenues of such newspapers are based on advertising.-In the U.S.:...
, The Portland Daily Sun
Portland Daily Sun
The Portland Daily Sun publish daily newspapers Tuesday through Saturday in Portland, Maine. The Portland Daily Sun is a free daily newspaper distributed to retail and business locations throughout the city. The first edition was printed on February 3, 2009. Circulation, which started at 3,000...
or for the Bangor Daily News
Bangor Daily News
The Bangor Daily News is an American newspaper that was founded on June 18, 1889; in 1900 the paper merged with the Bangor Whig and Courier. The Bangor Publishing Co. publishes the paper in Bangor, Maine, in addition to two weekly papers distributed by the BDN and several others distributed by the...
, which has moved into the Portland market. In 2010, it endorsed conservative Republican candidates (Dean Scontras and Jason Levesque) in both of Maine's congressional districts, both of whom deny that global climate change is caused by human activity. Both were also vehemently pro-life. They were both defeated by the Democratic incumbents, Chellie Pingree
Chellie Pingree
Rochelle M. "Chellie" Pingree is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing since 2009. The district includes most of the southern part of the state, including Portland and Augusta.Pingree was a member of the Maine Senate from...
and Mike Michaud
Mike Michaud
Michael Herman Michaud is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district comprises nearly 80% of the state by area and includes the cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Bangor, and Presque Isle...
. For Maine's gubernatorial election that same year
Maine gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor John Baldacci was term-limited and unable to seek re-election. Primary elections took place on June 8, 2010...
, it endorsed moderate Independent former Democrat Eliot Cutler
Eliot Cutler
Eliot Cutler is an American lawyer and was an Independent candidate in Maine's 2010 gubernatorial race.Born and raised in Bangor, Maine, Cutler graduated from Harvard College and later earned a degree from Georgetown Law....
, a close friend of Connor, who came in second with 34% of the vote.
On October 28, 2011, the resignation of Connor was announced effective December 31, 2011.
Online
The Press Herald and Sunday Telegram website, and those of its sister papers, are part of MaineToday Media's MaineToday.com portal.The domain name Portland.com was originally the Web address for the papers, but was sold to a marketing firm and became a visitor's guide for the city of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in May 2004.
Anti-Semitism controversy
The Religion and Values section of the Saturday, February 3, 2007 edition of the Press Herald included an ad from the First Baptist Church of South PortlandSouth Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
, which listed the sermon as "The Only Way to Destroy the Jewish Race". This caused outrage in Greater Portland's Jewish Community and led to an apology by the minister of that church.
However, less than two weeks later, People's Choice Credit Union ran an ad in the February 14, 2007 edition of the Press Herald that depicted a bearded "Fee Bandit" that resembled a Hasidic Jew, eager to take people's money. This incident prompted investigations by the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
; Steven Wessler, director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence and the person in charge of dealing with hate crimes in the state; and the Jewish Community Alliance. The newspaper's management later apologized for printing the advertisements in question without checking them first, and said it they would scrutinize ad content more closely before printing.