The Columbus Dispatch
Encyclopedia
The Columbus Dispatch is a daily newspaper
based in Columbus, Ohio
. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since The Columbus Citizen-Journal
stopped printing in 1985.
The Dispatch and the various WBNS stations (WBNS (AM)
, WBNS-FM
, and WBNS-TV
) as part of the Dispatch Broadcast Group
are privately owned by the Wolfe family
. Although this concentration of media ownership
might seem to run afoul of the Federal Communications Commission
's cross-ownership rules, the family was granted an exemption
because their ownership pre-dated the regulations. The Dispatch Broadcast Group
also includes WTHR
Channel 13 in Indianapolis, Indiana
, an affiliate of NBC
, and the "Ohio News Network" cable news
channel.
As of 2010, John F. Wolfe is the newspaper's publisher. Michael F. Curtin is the associate publisher emeritus, Michael J. Fiorile is the president and chief operating officer, and Benjamin Marrison is the editor
.
. The paper published its first issue as The Daily Dispatch on July 1, 1871, as a four page paper which cost 0.04 per copy. The paper was originally an afternoon paper for the city of Columbus, Ohio
, which at the time had a population of 32,000. For its first few years, the paper rented a headquarters on North High Street and Lynn Alley in Columbus. It began with 800 subscribers.
On April 2, 1888, the paper published its first full-page advertisement, for the Columbus Buggy Company. In 1895, the paper moved its headquarters to the northeast corner of Gay and High streets, a larger building on a site which was previously a grocer. On April 10, the paper published a 72-page expose to mark the move. On December 17, 1899, the paper published its first Sunday edition, a 36-page paper which cost 0.03, and the daily editions were reduced in price to 0.02. Two years later on March 3, 1901, the paper published its first color comic strip
s.
The paper, renamed The Columbus Evening Dispatch changed hands several times in its early years. In 1905, it was purchased by the Wolfe family, with brothers Harry Preston Wolfe and Robert Frederick Wolfe. The Wolfes, who originally ran a shoe company, had purchased the Ohio State Journal two years before. On December 16, 1906, the paper published its first color ad, for Beggs Store. On April 9, 1907, the Dispatch offices were destroyed in a fire, and the building was demolished and rebuilt. In the interlude, the paper ran its offices out of 34/36 North High Street.
The paper traditionally has had a conservative
slant. The paper's last endorsement
of a Democrat
as a Presidential
candidate, was for the re-election of Woodrow Wilson
in 1916. More recently, coverage has taken a more leftward tilt. For example, the Dispatch endorsed Democratic
gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland
in the 2006 Ohio elections.
A competitor paper, The Columbus Citizen-Journal ("C-J", pronounced "See-Jay"), as it was known, was beholden to the Columbus Dispatch for its printing facilities, and controversy
surrounded the C-J's demise in 1985.
The Weekender section is included in the Thursday paper. A Faith & Values section is included in the Friday paper. Sunday sections include Travel, The Arts, Insight and comics.
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...
based in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since The Columbus Citizen-Journal
The Columbus Citizen-Journal
The Columbus Citizen-Journal was a daily morning newspaper in Columbus, Ohio published by the Scripps Howard company. It was formed in 1959 by the merger of The Columbus Citizen and The Ohio State Journal. It shared printing facilities, as well as business, advertising, and circulation staff in a...
stopped printing in 1985.
The Dispatch and the various WBNS stations (WBNS (AM)
WBNS (AM)
WBNS — branded 1460 ESPN — is a radio station that broadcasts from Columbus, Ohio. The station, which originally went on the air as WCAH in 1922, currently broadcasts a sports talk format and carries ESPN talk programming. WBNS is also the flagship of the Ohio State Buckeyes radio network. It is...
, WBNS-FM
WBNS-FM
WBNS-FM is a radio station in Columbus, Ohio airing a sports radio format.WBNS-FM features a combination of local programming and ESPN Radio programming, and is the flagship station for the Ohio State Buckeyes football and basketball radio networks...
, and WBNS-TV
WBNS-TV
WBNS-TV, channel 10, is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The station is an affiliate of the CBS Television Network and is owned by the Dispatch Broadcast Group, a subsidiary of the Columbus Dispatch, along with WBNS radio...
) as part of the Dispatch Broadcast Group
Dispatch Broadcast Group
The Dispatch Broadcast Group is a media company based in Columbus, Ohio. The group is a division of the Dispatch Printing Company, owner of the Columbus Dispatch, and has been owned by the Wolfe family since 1929...
are privately owned by the Wolfe family
Robert F. Wolfe
According to biographies supplied by the Columbus Foundation and the Columbus Dispatch, newspaper founder Robert F. Wolfe arrived in Columbus, Ohio in 1888 and found work as a shoemaker, eventually beginning the Wolfe Brothers Shoe Company. In 1903, he bought the Ohio State Journal with his...
. Although this concentration of media ownership
Concentration of media ownership
Concentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...
might seem to run afoul of the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
's cross-ownership rules, the family was granted an exemption
Grandfather clause
Grandfather clause is a legal term used to describe a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations. It is often used as a verb: to grandfather means to grant such an exemption...
because their ownership pre-dated the regulations. The Dispatch Broadcast Group
Dispatch Broadcast Group
The Dispatch Broadcast Group is a media company based in Columbus, Ohio. The group is a division of the Dispatch Printing Company, owner of the Columbus Dispatch, and has been owned by the Wolfe family since 1929...
also includes WTHR
WTHR
WTHR, channel 13, is a full-service television station serving the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area. An affiliate of the NBC television network, its studios at 1000 N. Meridian Street anchor the south end of Indy's Television Row...
Channel 13 in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, an affiliate of 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...
, and the "Ohio News Network" cable news
United States cable news
Cable news refers to television channels devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable television. In the United States, early networks included CNN in 1980, Financial News Network in 1981, and CNN2 ...
channel.
As of 2010, John F. Wolfe is the newspaper's publisher. Michael F. Curtin is the associate publisher emeritus, Michael J. Fiorile is the president and chief operating officer, and Benjamin Marrison is the editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
.
History
The paper was founded in June 1871 by a group of 10 printers with 900 in financial capitalFinancial capital
Financial capital can refer to money used by entrepreneurs and businesses to buy what they need to make their products or provide their services or to that sector of the economy based on its operation, i.e. retail, corporate, investment banking, etc....
. The paper published its first issue as The Daily Dispatch on July 1, 1871, as a four page paper which cost 0.04 per copy. The paper was originally an afternoon paper for the city of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, which at the time had a population of 32,000. For its first few years, the paper rented a headquarters on North High Street and Lynn Alley in Columbus. It began with 800 subscribers.
On April 2, 1888, the paper published its first full-page advertisement, for the Columbus Buggy Company. In 1895, the paper moved its headquarters to the northeast corner of Gay and High streets, a larger building on a site which was previously a grocer. On April 10, the paper published a 72-page expose to mark the move. On December 17, 1899, the paper published its first Sunday edition, a 36-page paper which cost 0.03, and the daily editions were reduced in price to 0.02. Two years later on March 3, 1901, the paper published its first color comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s.
The paper, renamed The Columbus Evening Dispatch changed hands several times in its early years. In 1905, it was purchased by the Wolfe family, with brothers Harry Preston Wolfe and Robert Frederick Wolfe. The Wolfes, who originally ran a shoe company, had purchased the Ohio State Journal two years before. On December 16, 1906, the paper published its first color ad, for Beggs Store. On April 9, 1907, the Dispatch offices were destroyed in a fire, and the building was demolished and rebuilt. In the interlude, the paper ran its offices out of 34/36 North High Street.
The paper traditionally has had a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
slant. The paper's last endorsement
Political endorsement
Political endorsement is the action of publicly declaring one's personal or group's support of a candidate for elected office.In the case of a 4 or 5 party system, where one of the parties has a 15 to 20% predicted electoral support, just prior to the election, the official representative of the...
of a 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...
as a Presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
candidate, was for the re-election of Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
in 1916. More recently, coverage has taken a more leftward tilt. For example, the Dispatch endorsed Democratic
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...
gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland
Ted Strickland
Theodore "Ted" Strickland was the 68th Governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ....
in the 2006 Ohio elections.
A competitor paper, The Columbus Citizen-Journal ("C-J", pronounced "See-Jay"), as it was known, was beholden to the Columbus Dispatch for its printing facilities, and controversy
The Columbus Citizen-Journal
The Columbus Citizen-Journal was a daily morning newspaper in Columbus, Ohio published by the Scripps Howard company. It was formed in 1959 by the merger of The Columbus Citizen and The Ohio State Journal. It shared printing facilities, as well as business, advertising, and circulation staff in a...
surrounded the C-J's demise in 1985.
Sections and features
The sections of the Dispatch include the Front Page, Metro, Sports and Life. The Business section is on the back page and inside back page of the Sports section. Food and Now! are sections included in the Wednesday paper, while Science is published on Tuesdays.