The Durant Daily Democrat
Encyclopedia
The Durant Daily Democrat is a daily newspaper
located in the city of Durant
, Oklahoma
. The Durant Daily Democrat serves all of Bryan County
and parts of other South Central Oklahoma
counties.
It is a survivor of nearly 50 newspapers published at one time or another in what is now Bryan County. Most were born - and died - shortly before or after 1900.
The Democrat traces its heritage back to 1901, when R. H. Glenn and Lewis Paullin, already publishers of the Durant Times, bought the Durant Eagle. They changed the name to the Durant Weekly News and started the Durant Daily News.
In the spring of 1909, two young men came to Durant to enter the newspaper business: R. F. (Bob) Story of Mineral Wells
, Texas
, and Walter Archibald, of Marietta
, Oklahoma
. The following year they purchased the Durant Daily News and changed the name to the Durant Daily Democrat. The first issue under the new - and present - name was dated June 1, 1910. Their association continued through the years, ending with Archibald's death in 1940.
In 1941, Story and his son, Bennett, bought Archibald's interest.
In 1957, they sold the newspaper and the radio station they had started in 1946 to the newly-formed Durant Publishing Broadcasting Co., with brothers Robert H. Peterson and Richard P. Peterson as co-publishers. Other stockholders were their parents, Robert V. Peterson, a veteran Oklahoma newspaperman and a professor of journalism at the University of Oklahoma
, and his wife, Berdena.
The new corporation continued in business at 127 North Third, long familiar as the "newspaper corner" in Durant, for 10 years. In 1967, it moved to a new building, at 200 W. Beech. As the Story era had ended, so did the Peterson years with the unexpected death of Dick Peterson in May of 1981.
In October of that year, the newspaper was sold to Donrey, Inc. and became part of the Fort Smith
, Arkansas
-based Donrey Media Group, a substantial group of daily and weekly newspapers and other media.
August 31, 1993, the Donrey Media Group was purchased as a unit of the Stephens Group, parent of Stephens Inc. of Little Rock
, one of the nations largest off-Wall Street
brokerage houses. Publisher David Crouch, who joined the Democrat in 1981, served through both the Donrey and Stephens eras.
The Donrey era ended in Durant in 1998, when the Democrat became a unit of the far-flung Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Birmingham
, Alabama
.
The newspaper is currently owned by Heartland Publications
.
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...
located in the city of Durant
Durant, Oklahoma
Durant is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,877 at the 2010 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 42,416 in 2010...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. The Durant Daily Democrat serves all of Bryan County
Bryan County, Oklahoma
Bryan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 36,534 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Durant. The county shares the same boundaries as the Durant Micropolitan Area. It is also home to the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma located in Durant...
and parts of other South Central Oklahoma
South Central Oklahoma
South Central Oklahoma, or Arbuckle Country, as officially defined by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism, is an amorphous 10-county region in the state of Oklahoma...
counties.
History
For over a century, The Durant Daily Democrat has served the people of Durant and Bryan County as their major source of news, as well as a guide for shoppers through advertising of local merchants.It is a survivor of nearly 50 newspapers published at one time or another in what is now Bryan County. Most were born - and died - shortly before or after 1900.
The Democrat traces its heritage back to 1901, when R. H. Glenn and Lewis Paullin, already publishers of the Durant Times, bought the Durant Eagle. They changed the name to the Durant Weekly News and started the Durant Daily News.
In the spring of 1909, two young men came to Durant to enter the newspaper business: R. F. (Bob) Story of Mineral Wells
Mineral Wells, Texas
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,946 at the 2000 census. The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Walter Archibald, of Marietta
Marietta, Oklahoma
Marietta is a city in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,445 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Love County.Marietta is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. The following year they purchased the Durant Daily News and changed the name to the Durant Daily Democrat. The first issue under the new - and present - name was dated June 1, 1910. Their association continued through the years, ending with Archibald's death in 1940.
In 1941, Story and his son, Bennett, bought Archibald's interest.
In 1957, they sold the newspaper and the radio station they had started in 1946 to the newly-formed Durant Publishing Broadcasting Co., with brothers Robert H. Peterson and Richard P. Peterson as co-publishers. Other stockholders were their parents, Robert V. Peterson, a veteran Oklahoma newspaperman and a professor of journalism at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, and his wife, Berdena.
The new corporation continued in business at 127 North Third, long familiar as the "newspaper corner" in Durant, for 10 years. In 1967, it moved to a new building, at 200 W. Beech. As the Story era had ended, so did the Peterson years with the unexpected death of Dick Peterson in May of 1981.
In October of that year, the newspaper was sold to Donrey, Inc. and became part of the Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
-based Donrey Media Group, a substantial group of daily and weekly newspapers and other media.
August 31, 1993, the Donrey Media Group was purchased as a unit of the Stephens Group, parent of Stephens Inc. of Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, one of the nations largest off-Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
brokerage houses. Publisher David Crouch, who joined the Democrat in 1981, served through both the Donrey and Stephens eras.
The Donrey era ended in Durant in 1998, when the Democrat became a unit of the far-flung Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
The newspaper is currently owned by Heartland Publications
Heartland Publications
Heartland Publications is a Connecticut-based owner of small to medium market newspapers. Heartland Publications LLC formed in May 2004 and started out by acquiring 24 publications from CNHI newspaper group. They currently own 48 paid circulation newspapers located in Georgia, Kentucky, North and...
.