TheCowles Companyis a diversified media company inSpokane, Washington,in the US. The company owns and operatesThe Spokesman-Reviewin Spokane, founded in 1894, and owned theSpokane Daily Chronicleuntil it was shut down in 1992. Built byWilliam H. Cowles,the publishing business eventually constructed striking buildings in downtown Spokane for both papers. The Chronicle Building was eventually converted into offices and then residential. The company also owned several other papers and operates Inland Empire Paper Company,televisionstations, and interests inreal estate,insurance,marketingandfinancialservices.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing,manufacturing,media,real estate |
| Founded | 1894 |
| Founder | William H. Cowles |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Spokane, Washington,Spokane Valley, Washington,Coeur d'Alene, Idaho,Inland Empire |
Key people | Elizabeth A. Cowles (Chair) W. Stacey Cowles (Publisher) |
| Website | cowlescompany |
| Footnotes / references Real Cities, McClatchy Interactive | |
William Stacey Cowles, the publisher ofThe Spokesman-Review,is the great-grandson of the company's founder, William H. Cowles, and the fourth generation of the Cowles family to run the paper. His sister, Elizabeth A. Cowles, is chairwoman of the parent company.Rob Curleyis the editor.
History
edit
William H. Cowles came to Spokane at age 24 to be the business manager of theSpokesman,which was founded less than two years before, and excelled at local news coverage. He had experience as a police reporter for theChicago Tribuneand was the son of theTribune'streasurer,Alfred Cowles Sr.He soon bought theSpokesmanfrom his partners. In 1893, he bought a rival paper, theReview,and merged the two papers intoThe Spokesman-Review.He acquired theSpokane Chroniclein 1897.
According toTimein 1952, he was a "determined man" who had an artificial leg yet walked two miles to the office each day.[2]
Cowles set theChronicleon a course to be independent, andThe Spokesman-Reviewto supportRepublican Partycauses.Timemagazine related the paper's success gaining lowered rates for freight carried to theNorthwest United Statesand an improved park system and that helped the region. Increasing its reputation for comprehensive local news and by opposing "gambling, liquor and prostitution",The Spokesman-Reviewgained popularity. The paper's opposition to building theGrand Coulee Damwas not quite so universally applauded and when it opposed theNew Dealand theFair Deal,it so disturbed President of the United StatesHarry Trumanthat he declared the Spokesman-Review to be one of the "two worst" newspapers in the United States.[3]TheScripps League's Pressclosed in 1939, making Cowles the only newspaper publisher in Spokane. Cowles created four weeklies, theIdaho Farmer,Washington Farmer,Oregon FarmerandUtah Farmer.[2]Cowles died in 1946. When William H. Cowles Jr. succeeded his father as publisher, James Bracken received much more news and editorial control as managing editor.[2]William H. Cowles IIIsucceed his father as publisher.[4]
The original Review Building, designed by Seaton & Ferris in 1891 in a style closest toRichardson Romanesque,is ten stories with a tower that reaches 146 feet (45 m). In 1975, it was listed in theNational Register of Historic Places.[5]
Television
editCowles' television operations are centered around the two NBC affiliates in eastern Washington. The flagship isKHQ-TVin Spokane, which was founded by Cowles as Washington's second television station. Cowles also ownsKNDOinYakimaand itsTri-Citiessemi-satelliteKNDU(licensed toRichland).[6]As of September 2007, Cowles planned to acquire twoCBSaffiliate television stations for US$41 million fromNewport Television,one of the holding companies formed byProvidence Equity Partnerswhen Providence planned to acquire the television stations owned byClear Channel Communications.They areKCOY-TVinSanta Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaandKION-TVinMonterey, California.KION carriesThe CWon a separate digital channel. Cowles would also have a management agreement withKCBA,theFoxaffiliate serving Salinas, Monterey andSanta Cruz, California,and would acquire two low power stations,KKFX-CA,also Fox inSan Luis Obispo, Californiaand theTelemundoaffiliateKMUV-LPin Monterey.[7]The deal closed on May 7, 2008.
On September 20, 2013,News-Press & Gazette Companyannounced that it would purchaseMontereystations,KION-TVandKMUV-LP,as well asSan Luis ObispostationKKFX-CA.NPG will also take over some of the operations ofSanta Mariasister stationKCOY-TV,which Cowles will retain, under ashared services agreement(as NPG's holdings in the area already includeKEYT-TVinSanta Barbara).[8]The existingLMAforKCBAwas terminated on December 1, 2013, as that station's operations were assumed byEntravision Communicationsthrough a joint sales agreement (the license was retained by Seal Rock Broadcasters). On September 30, 2013, Cowles announced that it would acquireMax Media's Montana television station cluster for $18 million.[9][10]The sale was finalized on November 29.
In October 2022, Cowles introduced the standardized brandingNonStop Localfor all of its stations' news programming, as part of an effort to promote them as multi-platform news sources.[11]
Current
edit(**) -indicates a station built and signed on by Cowles.
Cowles Montana Media Company
edit| City of license/Market | Station | Channel TV(RF) |
Owned since | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings, MT | KULR-TV | 8 (11) | 2013 | NBC |
| Miles City, MT | KYUS-TV[A] | 3 (3) | [a] | NBC |
| Butte, MT | KWYB | 18 (19) | 2013 | |
| Bozeman, MT | KWYB-LD[B] | 18 (19) | 2013 |
|
| Great Falls, MT | KFBB-TV | 5 (8) | 2013 |
|
| Helena, MT | KHBB-LD[C] | 21 (21) | 2013 |
|
| Missoula, MT | KTMF | 23 (23) | 2013 |
|
| Kalispell, MT | KTMF-LD[D] | 42 (42) | 2013 |
|
KHQ, Incorporated
edit| City of license/Market | Station | Channel TV(RF) |
Owned since | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spokane, WA | KHQ-TV** | 6 (15) | 1952 |
|
| Yakima, WA | KNDO | 23 (16) | 1999 |
|
| Richland, WA | KNDU[A] | 25 (26) | 1999 |
|
- ^Satellite of KNDO.
Former
edit| Market | Station | Channel | Years owned | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey-Salinas, CA | KMUV-LP | 11 | 2008-2013 | Telemundoaffiliate owned byNews-Press & Gazette Company |
| KCBA | 35 | 2008-2013[b] | Foxaffiliate owned by Seal Rock Broadcasters, LLC[c] | |
| KION-TV | 46 | 2008-2013 | CBSaffiliate owned by News-Press & Gazette Company | |
| Santa Barbara-Santa Maria- San Luis Obispo, CA |
KCOY-TV | 12 | 2008-2015[d] | Telemundoaffiliate owned by VistaWest Media, LLC[e] |
| KKFX-CA | 24 | 2008-2013 | Fox affiliateKKFX-CD,owned by News-Press & Gazette Company |
Other affiliations
edit- Basic Financial Solutions
- Citizens Realty
- Inland Empire Paper Company
- Spokane Journal of Business
- River Park Square
- Nickels Worth Publications
- Northwest Farmer-Stockman
- Print Marketing Concepts
- The Spokesman-Review
- SWX Right Now
Cowles family
editThe Cowles family of Spokane is descended from Elizabeth (1827–1910) and Sarah Hutchinson (1837–1884) ofCayuga County, New York.[citation needed]The two sisters married two brothers,Alfred Cowles Sr.andEdwin CowlesofCleveland, Ohio.Edwin published theCleveland Leaderand Alfred moved toChicago,Illinoiswhere he purchased one third of theChicago Tribune.[12]
Feminist and educatorBetsy Mix Cowleswas Alfred and Edwin's paternal aunt. Edwin's sons Alfred and Eugene were chemists and metallurgists who invented and operatedelectric arc smeltersto extract aluminum.Alfred Cowles,3rd—the grandson of Alfred Sr.—founded theCowles Commission for Research in Economicsfollowing theGreat Depression.
Distantly related, the Cowles family of Spokane are about sixth cousins of the family ofGardner Cowles Sr.ofDes Moines, IowaandMinneapolis, Minnesotawho ownedCowles Media Company.Both Cowles publishing families are descendants of Hannah Bushoup (c.1613-1683) ofHartford, Connecticutand John Cowles (1598–1675) ofGloucestershire,England.
Alfred Cowles and Sarah Frances Hutchinson had four children: Edwin (1861–1861),Alfred Jr.(1865–1939), Sarah Frances (1862–1920), andWilliam Hutchinson(1866–1947). William married Harriet Bowen Cheney, and became a newspaper publisher inSpokane, Washington.William is also the grandfather ofWilliam H. Cowles III.[4]
Gallery
edit-
Alfred Cowles Sr.of theChicago Tribune,father of William H. Cowles -
Edwin Cowlesof theCleveland Leader,brother of Alfred Cowles. Sr.
Notes
edit- ^Owned byMarks Radio Group,Cowles operates KYUS via a time-brokerage agreement.
- ^Cowles operated KCBA through a shared services agreement (SSA).
- ^Operated through an SSA byEntravision Communications.
- ^From 2014 to 2015, News-Press & Gazette Company operated KCOY under an SSA.
- ^Operated under SSA byNews-Press & Gazette Company.
References
edit
- ^Yahoo! or Hoovers via Yahoo!."Cowles Publishing Company Company Profile".RetrievedOctober 23,2007.
- ^abc"The Inland Empire's Voice".Time.January 7, 1952. Archived fromthe originalon January 8, 2012.RetrievedOctober 28,2007.
- ^"When Harry Gave Us Hell".The Spokesman-Review.Cowles Publishing Company. September 7, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2010.RetrievedAugust 19,2010.
- ^abFerrendelli, Betta (November 11, 2001)."Four generations of Cowles built diverse empire".Puget Sound Business Journal.
- ^"Review Building".Emporis. Archived from the original on January 1, 2007.RetrievedOctober 18,2007.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^"Business in brief: Cowles Co. buying California stations".The Spokesman-Review.Cowles Publishing Company. September 26, 2006.RetrievedOctober 28,2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Cowles Buying California TV Stations".TV Newsday. September 26, 2007.RetrievedOctober 25,2007.
- ^"KCOY to 'share services' with KEYT parent company under planned station purchases".Santa Maria Times.September 23, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 24,2013.
- ^Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or LicenseArchivedDecember 19, 2013, at theWayback Machine"Federal Communications Commission",October 1, 2013
- ^Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License"Federal Communications Commission",October 1, 2013
- ^"Washington, Montana stations consolidate under 'NonStop Local' brand".NewscastStudio.RetrievedOctober 30,2022.
- ^White, James Terry (1895).The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States.James T. White & Company, via New York Public Library via Internet Archive full view. p.224.RetrievedOctober 24,2007.andRobert Norton Smith (June 10, 1997).Chapter 1, The Colonel, The Life and Legend of Robert R. McCormick 1880-1955.Houghton Mifflin Co. via The New York Times Company.ISBN0-395-53379-1.RetrievedOctober 24,2007.