By Mallory Leonard • Photos: Mallory Leonard and Supplied
The early days of the newspaper business in the United States began with the colonial press. Those early papers were usually partisan, reflecting the strong political division that existed in the new country at the time.
By the 19th century newspapers were bigger in size and circulation. They had become central to political life, rallying support for local issues, influencing elections and providing a platform for local personalities. Inventions like the steam powered printing press, the telegraph and the growth of cities contributed to their influence. The expansion of railroads and the postal service addressed the growing demand for more information and made them available to more people.
With the growth of demand, small to mid-sized local newspapers focused not only on politics, but also on general news, advertisements and other information that appealed to a broader, more diverse audience.
While the rise of radio, and later television, in the 20th century threatened the viability of print media, it was the strong advocacy of local newspapers for the issues important to their readers – regional politics, local economies, cultural life, and area concerns — that helped them retain their loyal readers.
The history of newspapers in the North Country truly began when the Republican printed its first issue in 1813. Two years later it changed its name to the Plattsburgh Republican. It was a weekly publication until 1916 when the paper changed its name again to the Plattsburgh Daily Republican.
Two decades earlier, in 1894, the Plattsburgh Daily Press published its first issue. For the next 48 years the two papers were the major source of news for residents of the area.
In 1942 the Plattsburgh Daily Press and the Plattsburgh Daily Republican merged to form the Plattsburgh Press-Republican. To delve into the more contemporary history of our area’s most recognized publication, I sat down recently with Bob Parks, a former publisher of the Press-Republican and Bob Grady, a former editor. Both men are now retired, but their enthusiasm and pride in the Press was evident in our conversation.
When Grady joined the paper, the office was located in a three-story building located at the west end of Clinton Street in downtown Plattsburgh. “The building wasn’t suited for what we needed to do,” he began. “It wasn’t built to be a newspaper office. The newsroom was too small and the pressroom was located across the street.” Finally, after years of finding ways to work around the building’s shortcomings, the decision was made to relocate. Land was purchased on Margaret Street and construction began on a new facility in 1972.
The Press-Republican has updated its electronic production equipment several times and in 1981 built a $200,000 addition to its plant. New methods of production and distribution changed and then computers revolutionized the business.
Parks had a wealth of experience in news- paper publishing when he joined the Press in 2000. During his 40-year newspaper career, he ran operations in Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina and Connecticut before taking the assignment as Publisher in Plattsburgh.
Ottaway Newspapers had purchased the Press in 1956 and used its influence to focus on revenue potential in the form of advertising sales. The corporation also placed great emphasis on connections — both between employees and their communities.
”Ottaway was the gold standard. They had a great commitment to news integrity, coverage and fairness. Their charge was to put out a good newspaper — one that represented the community,” Parks offered.
Ottaway Newspapers merged with Dow Jones & Company in 1970 and became their community newspaper division. But after a rewarding 50-year relationship, Ottaway/Dow Jones sold the Press-Republican in 2006 as part of a package deal to Community Newspaper Holdings.
Special publications reported events significant to the local community such as the closing of Plattsburgh Air Force Base in 1995, the Ice Storm of 1998 and September 11th 2001. The prison escape from Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora in 2015 created so much concern about safety and public awareness the Press lifted the fire- wall that normally limited the number of free articles available to non-subscribers. “We had never done that before,” Parks explained, “but we wanted to demonstrate our commitment to the integrity of journalism and our commitment to the community.”
The internet revolution influenced not only how the Press was created, but also how it was distributed. Newspapers went from being delivered by young people and later by adult carriers to motor routes and now to mail delivery.
The Press-Republican is now provided Tuesday - Friday with a combined weekend Saturday/Sunday issue. The Monday edition is only available online. Articles have gone from appearing first in print to now breaking online with online updates and then a final version in print. The way the public gets its news has changed and the Press has changed along with it. Community was the common thread throughout my chat with the Bobs — Parks and Grady. “The Press-Republican remains one of the most trusted news sources in our area serving the people of Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties. When people can trust what they read, it is an enormous benefit and that is what we are committed to,” Grady concluded.
Press-Republican
170 Margaret Street
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
518 561-2300