La Crosse Tribune
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Lee Enterprises |
| President | Paul Pehler |
| Editor | Todd Krysiak |
| Founded | May 16, 1904 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters |
|
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | 18,837 Daily (as of 2023)[1] |
| ISSN | 0745-9793 |
| OCLCnumber | 1755375 |
| Website | lacrossetribune |
TheLa Crosse Tribuneis a daily newspaper published inLa Crosse, Wisconsin,covering the tri-state area ofWisconsin,Iowa,andMinnesotain the United States.
The paper was first founded in 1904, following a media scandal in which existing publications failed to report on the recent creation of a power monopoly in La Crosse.[2]Today, the paper is owned byLee Enterprisesand is part of the River Valley Media Group.
History
[edit]The first newspaper in La Crosse,Spirit of the Times,was founded in 1852 by A.D. La Due. In the course of the next 50 years, a variety of daily newspapers emerged in La Crosse. Most of these were founded along political lines, which caused them to come in conflict with one another, such as theLa Crosse Democratand theLa Crosse Daily Republican,who notably circulated criticisms of the other's reporting ofAbraham Lincoln's assassination. Many other papers catered to specific demographics, including two Norwegian-language publications,AmerikaandFaedrelandet Og Emigranten,in addition to theVlastenec,a Bohemian-language weekly paper. The city formerly had three German-language publications:Nord Stern,Die Wagle,andLa Crosse Volksfreund.All three had fallen out of favor by the 1920s as a result ofanti-German sentiment.[2]
This was the case with many of such small independent newspapers in La Crosse, which had begun to fade out or merge with one another by the turn of the 20th century. Many of the remaining private publications lost favor in 1904, when they neglected to report on the merger of two power companies which created a monopoly in the area. Among the papers criticised for their "private-interests" was theMorning Chronicle.Its managing editor, Aaron M. Brayton, and three others left theChroniclefollowing the scandal and founded their own paper: theLa Crosse Tribune.TheTribunewas established with an initial $10,000 investment provided by 65 stockholders.[3]It began publication on May 16, 1904.[4][5]
The paper was not immediately successful, and was purchased in 1907 byLee Enterprises,a media syndicate, for $15,000. Following the acquisition, theTribune'sfounder, Brayton, remained the paper's editor and publisher. In 1917, the paper purchased its main competitor, TheLa Crosse Leader and Press,for $100,000. By this time, much of the paper's competition had died out and as a result of the merger, it became the city's only remaining daily newspaper.[3]To reflect the merger, the publication's name was changed to TheLa Crosse Tribune and Leader Press.In 1944, the publication removed its homage to the Leader Press from its name, and reverted to being called the La Crosse Tribune.[6][7]Independent weekly publications remain active, though theTribunehas been the only daily newspaper in La Crosse since 1917.[5]
Today, the paper is part of the River Valley Media Group which also oversees theWinona Daily Newsand several local, weekly publications, including: theCoulee-Courier,Houston County News,Tomah Journal and Monitor Herald,Vernon County Broadcaster,andWestby Times.[8]The Tribune was the original owner ofWKTY,a local radio station. Regulations set by theFederal Communications Commissionmeant that the paper could not own the radio station and a TV station simultaneously. In order to invest in a new local TV stationWKBT,it sold the radio station to Herbert H. Lee in 1954.[9]TheTribunelater divested its ownership of WKBT.[10]
Starting June 6, 2023, the print edition of the newspaper will be reduced to three days a week: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Also, the newspaper will transition from being delivered by a traditional newspaper delivery carrier to mail delivery by the U.S. Postal Service.[11]
Facilities
[edit]
The publication's original location was at 123 Main Street, in downtown La Crosse. As the paper expanded, it moved to spaces at Fifth Avenue and Jay street. In 1938 theTribunerelocated to a new building 435 Fourth Street South.[12]
Again in 1973, the publication moved to a new building at 401 Third Street North. In 1996, a new printing and distribution center was erected next to the building.[5][3]In 2019, theTribune'sprinting moved offsite to a printing plant in Madison. This, along with smaller staff sizes, made much of the building's space unnecessary. In December 2019, it was sold by Lee Enterprises to a local developer for $1.9 million. TheTribunehas since moved in to office spaces in the city's formerLaCrosse Footwearfactory.[13][14]
References
[edit]- ^Lee Enterprises."Form 10-K".investors.lee.net.RetrievedFebruary 29,2024.
- ^abMarcou, David (2000). "Early Journalism: Shining Light on the Civil War and the Death of a Cow".Spirit of La Crosse: A Grassroots History.Speranza Publishing. pp. 104–107.ISBN0967474019.
- ^abcKatz, Myer (1985).Echoes of Our Past: Vignettes of Historic La Crosse.La Crosse Foundation. pp. 366–370.
- ^"About The La Crosse tribune. (La Crosse, Wis.) 1904-1917".Chronicling America.Library of Congress.Retrieved26 October2020.
- ^abcMarcou, David (2000). "Twentieth Century Journalsim: TheTribuneand the Rest of the Local Field ".Spirit of La Crosse: A Grassroots History.Speranza Publishing. pp. 108–111.ISBN0967474019.
- ^"About The La Crosse tribune and leader-press".National Endowment for the Humanities.Retrieved28 March2021.
- ^"About the La Crosse tribune".National Endowment for the Humanities.Retrieved28 March2021.
- ^"River valley media group".La Crosse Tribune.Retrieved2021-03-28.
- ^"Herbert H. Lee".La Crosse Tribune.Retrieved2021-03-28.
- ^Marcou, David (2000). "Radio, TV, and Movies: Mainly Entertainment".Spirit of La Crosse: A Grassroots History.Speranza Publishing. p. 182.ISBN0967474019.
- ^Krysiak, Todd (2023-05-07)."Your expanded La Crosse Tribune coming soon".La Crosse Tribune.Retrieved2023-06-24.
- ^"Property Record: 435 S 4TH ST".Wisconsin Historical Society.Retrieved2021-03-28.
- ^Vian, Jourdan (31 December 2019)."La Crosse Tribune building sold, office to remain in La Crosse".La Crosse Tribune.Retrieved28 March2021.
- ^Vian, Jourdan (17 January 2020)."La Crosse Tribune will move to historic footwear complex on city's North Side".La Crosse Tribune.Retrieved28 March2021.
