South Bend Tribune
Encyclopedia
The South Bend Tribune is a newspaper distributed in the Michiana
(Indiana
, Michigan
, United States
) region. There are five editions for distribution in southwestern lower Michigan
, Mishawaka
(2 editions), Marshall County
, and the South Bend
Metro area. The South Bend Tribune has a daily circulation of 70,703 and Sunday circulation of 93,364.
Alfred B. Miller and Elmer Crockett founded the Tribune in 1872 in South Bend, a manufacturing center on the St. Joseph River
in northern Indiana.
The Tribunes reputation as a conservative, Republican
-leaning editorial voice put it at a disadvantage in competition with the more Democrat
-leaning News-Times.
A popular legend has it that Franklin Schurz Sr., the publisher and a nephew of Alfred Miller, took polka
lessons, then sponsored weekly polka nights on South Bend's Polish west side. The social events were a huge hit and helped establish inroads for the newspaper in the immigrant community.
Such community outreach and the newspaper's aggressive reporting helped push the Tribune past the News-Times, which went out of business in the 1950s.
Franklin Schurz Sr. served as editor and publisher of the Tribune through its periods of highest growth. With his prominent place in the business community, he helped chart a new direction for the local economy after Studebaker closed in 1963 and other factories scaled back production.
Descendants of the founders have served as editor and publisher for 124 of the newspaper's 136 years. Franklin Schurz Jr. succeeded his father after the Tribunes centennial in 1972; the current editor and publisher, David Ray, is a great-grandson of Elmer Crockett.
Like other newspapers, the Tribune has had challenges keeping its circulation numbers up. From a peak of more than 130,000 Sunday readers in the 1970s, Sunday circulation has dipped below 100,000. From more than 100,000 daily subscribers, the recent numbers are now closer to 70,000.
As a result, the Tribune is attempting to reach more readers through new web-based products and specialty magazines.
The Tribune once served towns ranging from as far east as Angola, Indiana
, to Rensselaer, Indiana
on the west. It now serves 11 counties—nine in north-central Indiana and two in south-central Michigan.
Because the University of Notre Dame
is within the South Bend city limits, the Tribune receives some of its renown for its sports coverage. During the 1960s and 1970s, for example, when the Fighting Irish
football teams were among the nation's elite, sports editor emeritus Joe Doyle
was a close confidant of coach Ara Parseghian. Forrest "Woody" Miller covered Irish men's basketball for decades, including the glory days of coach Digger Phelps.
The key executives are Editor and Publisher David Ray, Vice President and General Manager Steve Funk, Managing Editor Tim Harmon, Vice President of Administration Ed Henry, Advertising Director Carol Smith, Vice President of Finance Mark Hocker,
Subscriber Services Director Kevin Shaw, Production Director Steven Weisser, Director of Information Services Charlene Smith and Marketing Director Terry Bauer.
The Tribunes online publications include:
Michiana
Michiana is a region in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan centered on the city of South Bend, Indiana. The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County, Indiana defines Michiana as "counties that contribute at least 500 inbound commuting workers to St. Joseph County daily." Those counties...
(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...
, 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"....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) region. There are five editions for distribution in southwestern lower 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"....
, Mishawaka
Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River and a Twin city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census...
(2 editions), Marshall County
Marshall County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 45,128 people, 16,519 households, and 12,191 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 18,099 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
, and the South Bend
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
Metro area. The South Bend Tribune has a daily circulation of 70,703 and Sunday circulation of 93,364.
Alfred B. Miller and Elmer Crockett founded the Tribune in 1872 in South Bend, a manufacturing center on the St. Joseph River
St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)
The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan...
in northern Indiana.
The Tribunes reputation as a conservative, Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
-leaning editorial voice put it at a disadvantage in competition with the more 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...
-leaning News-Times.
A popular legend has it that Franklin Schurz Sr., the publisher and a nephew of Alfred Miller, took polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
lessons, then sponsored weekly polka nights on South Bend's Polish west side. The social events were a huge hit and helped establish inroads for the newspaper in the immigrant community.
Such community outreach and the newspaper's aggressive reporting helped push the Tribune past the News-Times, which went out of business in the 1950s.
Franklin Schurz Sr. served as editor and publisher of the Tribune through its periods of highest growth. With his prominent place in the business community, he helped chart a new direction for the local economy after Studebaker closed in 1963 and other factories scaled back production.
Descendants of the founders have served as editor and publisher for 124 of the newspaper's 136 years. Franklin Schurz Jr. succeeded his father after the Tribunes centennial in 1972; the current editor and publisher, David Ray, is a great-grandson of Elmer Crockett.
Like other newspapers, the Tribune has had challenges keeping its circulation numbers up. From a peak of more than 130,000 Sunday readers in the 1970s, Sunday circulation has dipped below 100,000. From more than 100,000 daily subscribers, the recent numbers are now closer to 70,000.
As a result, the Tribune is attempting to reach more readers through new web-based products and specialty magazines.
The Tribune once served towns ranging from as far east as Angola, Indiana
Angola, Indiana
Angola is a city in Pleasant Township, Steuben County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,612 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Steuben County . Angola was founded by Thomas Gale and Cornelius Gilmore. Angola is home to Trine University...
, to Rensselaer, Indiana
Rensselaer, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,294 people, 2,158 households, and 1,404 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,824.8 people per square mile . There were 2,296 housing units at an average density of 791.4 per square mile...
on the west. It now serves 11 counties—nine in north-central Indiana and two in south-central Michigan.
Because the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
is within the South Bend city limits, the Tribune receives some of its renown for its sports coverage. During the 1960s and 1970s, for example, when the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I...
football teams were among the nation's elite, sports editor emeritus Joe Doyle
Joe Doyle
Joe Doyle was an Irish Fine Gael politician. He was a long-standing public representative for the Dublin South East constituency...
was a close confidant of coach Ara Parseghian. Forrest "Woody" Miller covered Irish men's basketball for decades, including the glory days of coach Digger Phelps.
The key executives are Editor and Publisher David Ray, Vice President and General Manager Steve Funk, Managing Editor Tim Harmon, Vice President of Administration Ed Henry, Advertising Director Carol Smith, Vice President of Finance Mark Hocker,
Subscriber Services Director Kevin Shaw, Production Director Steven Weisser, Director of Information Services Charlene Smith and Marketing Director Terry Bauer.
The Tribunes online publications include:
- http://www.southbendtribune.com
- http://www.irishsports.com
- http://www.five7four.com
- http://www.inthebend.com
- http://www.sportsfest.net
- http://www.searchmichiana.com
- http://www.carsmichiana.com
- http://www.momsmichiana.com