{{Short description|Daily newspaper in Long Beach, California}} {{Infobox newspaper | name = Long Beach Press-Telegram | image = Press-Telegram front page.jpg | image_size = 220px | type = Daily newspaper | caption = | founder = John D. Palmer | publisher = Ron Hasse | editor = Frank Pine | owners = Southern California News Group<br>(MediaNews Group) | format = Broadsheet | founded = {{start date and age|1897}} | language = English | headquarters = Long Beach, California | circulation = 41,038 Daily<br />60,286 Sunday | circulation_date = September 2014 | website = [http://www.presstelegram.com/ presstelegram.com] }} The '''''Press-Telegram''''' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lynwood, Norwalk and Paramount.
==History==
In September 1897, the twice-weekly ''Long Beach Press'' was founded by John D. Palmer and Mr. Smith.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 20, 1897 |title=Notice |work=Los Angeles Herald |page=4}}</ref> The two quickly bought the facility of the ''Long Beach Breaker'' to utilize for their business.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 28, 1897 |title=Long Beach. |work=Los Angeles Evening Express |page=3}}</ref> J.A. Miller bought the ''Press'' from them and edited it for seven years until he sold it in 1904 to A.C. Malone, the paper's business manager.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 2, 1904 |title=Long Beach Press Is Sold |work=Los Angeles Evening Express |page=2}}</ref> Malone sold out to a company called Press Publishing, of which J.P. Baumgartner was heavily invested.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=December 3, 1910 |title=Long Beach Press Sold By President Of N.E.A. |work=Los Angeles Herald |page=10}}</ref>
Baumgartner was president of the National Editorial Association. He secured control of the ''Press'' after buying out C.L. Day and sold it.<ref name=":0" /> In December 1910, the ''Press'' was acquired from Baumgartner by A.J. Hosking and brothers Charles H. Prisk and William F. Prisk.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 28, 1910 |title=Formal Sale Made Today {{!}} Long Beach Press Changes Owners |work=The Long Beach Telegram and The Long Beach Daily News |page=7}}</ref> In 1924, the ''Long Beach Press'' merged with the ''Long Beach Daily Telegram''. W.F. Frisk was made company president and Belle McCord Roberts made vice president. Frank M. Selover was named editor.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 31, 1924 |title=F.M. Selover Is Editor of News Merger |work=The Morning Press |location=Santa Barbara, California |page=10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 31, 1924 |title=Newspapers At Long Beach Consolidated |work=The San Bernardino County Sun |page=1 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> In 1932, the ''Press-Telegram'' bought and absorbed the ''Long Beach Daily Sun''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 27, 1932 |title=Long Beach Sun Is Sold To Press-Telegram; Will Re-Enter Morning Newspaper Field |work=Press-Telegram |location=Long Beach, California |page=1}}</ref>
In 1952, the ''Press-Telegram'' and ''Independent'' were acquired by the Ridder family, who owned a dozen papers, along with several radio and television stations.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 10, 1952 |title=Ridders Buy Long Beach Newspapers {{!}} Prisk Interests Unaffected In Pasadena |work=Pasadena Star-News |page=1}}</ref> The two Long Beach papers had a combined circulation of approximately 243,000 at their peak in the late 1960s, under publisher Daniel Ridder and executive editor Miles Sines, making them the second largest printed news source in the Los Angeles area, behind the ''Los Angeles Times'' and ahead of the strike-decimated ''Herald-Examiner''.<ref name="LBH">{{cite web |title=Long Beach History |url=http://www.lbpl.org/history/Default.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114234613/http://www.lbpl.org/history/Default.asp |archive-date=January 14, 2014 |access-date=January 14, 2014 |website=City of Long Beach}}</ref> Soon after the purchase, the ''Long Beach'' ''Independent'' (founded in 1938) merged with the ''Press-Telegram'', with the ''Independent'' becoming the newspaper's morning edition and the ''Press-Telegram'' the evening edition.<ref name="LBH" />
In 1974, Ridder Publications Inc. merged with Knight Newspapers Inc. to form Knight Ridder.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 24, 1974 |title=Shareholders Okay Knight-Ridder Merger |work=The Star-Tribune |location=Duarte, California |page=8}}</ref> In 1981, the ''Independent'' was discontinued.<ref name="LBH" /> In 1997, Knight Ridder sold the ''Press-Telegram'' to Garden State Newspapers Inc., an affiliate MediaNews Group.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 7, 1997 |title=Press-Telegram Sold To Garden State Newspapers |work=The Los Angeles Times |page=158}}</ref> Garden State later became the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/leavingreadersbe00robe |title=Leaving Readers Behind: The Age of Corporate Newspapering |date=July 1, 2001 |publisher=University of Arkansas Press |isbn=978-1-5572-8709-0 |editor1-last=Roberts |editor1-first=Gene |editor1-link=Gene Roberts (journalist) |location=Fayetteville |editor2-last=Kunkel |editor2-first=Thomas |editor3-last=Layton |editor3-first=Charles |url-access=registration}}</ref> In 2011, the paper eliminated its sports, photography, and features departments. Some of the eliminated positions were picked up by the ''Torrance Daily Breeze'', a sibling publication.<ref>{{cite web |last=Coker |first=Matt |date=May 3, 2011 |title=Press-Telegram Kills Sports, Photo and Features, Allows Staffers to Reapply at Daily Breeze |url=http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2011/05/long_beach_press_telegram_cuts.php |access-date=January 14, 2014 |work=OC Weekly}}</ref> In 2013, MediaNews Group and 21st Century Media merged into Digital First Media.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-12-30 |title=MediaNews Group and 21st Century Media Transaction Has Been Finalized |url=http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com:80/medianews-group-21st-century-media-transaction-finalized/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215163927/http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com:80/medianews-group-21st-century-media-transaction-finalized/ |archive-date=2017-02-15 |access-date=2025-10-09 |work=Digital First Media}}</ref>
== Headquarters == The paper's longtime home, the ''Press-Telegram'' building at 6th Street and Pine Avenue, was sold in late 2006 to real estate developers intending to convert the property into condominiums. The paper's operations were moved to the Arco Center in Downtown Long Beach. The building at 6th Street and Pine Avenue in Downtown Long Beach occupied nearly the entire block, and at one time encompassed the entire production of the paper, including the presses, which were formerly visible behind glass windows at street level. The old building on Pine Avenue was eventually acquired and redeveloped by Molina Healthcare. The paper is currently located at 5225 E. Second St., Suite 400, Long Beach, CA 90803.
== Notable coverage == On September 30, 1933, the ''Press-Telegram'' published what David Dayen called "One of the more influential letters to the editor in American history": Francis Townsend's letter outlining the Townsend Plan, a proposal that sparked a national campaign which influenced the establishment of the Roosevelt administration's Social Security system.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dayen |first=David |date=October 29, 2013 |title=How a Frustrated Blogger Made Expanding Social Security a Respectable Idea |url=https://psmag.com/social-justice/frustrated-blogger-made-expanding-social-security-respectable-idea-67226 |access-date=January 13, 2014 |magazine=Pacific Standard}}</ref>
== Political endorsements == For the 2016 presidential election, the paper chose to endorse no candidate.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.presstelegram.com/opinion/20161109/papers-failure-to-endorse-a-candidate-for-president-is-slammed-letters| title=Paper's failure to endorse a candidate for president is slammed: Letters| newspaper=Press-Telegram}}</ref> This was later repeated in the 2020 cycle.
For the 2021 California recall election, the paper joined its fellow members of the Southern California News Group and endorsed the recall, while also endorsing Republican Larry Elder to replace Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtontimes.com:443/news/2021/aug/16/larry-elder-wins-southern-california-news-groups-b/| newspaper=The Washington Times| title=Larry Elder wins Southern California News Group's backing in Gavin Newsom recall election| first=Valerie| last=Richardson| date=August 16, 2021| access-date=April 15, 2022}}</ref>
== Alumni ==
* David Shaw<ref name="LBH" /> * Rich Roberts (''Los Angeles Times'')<ref name="LBH" /> * John Cash (''Las Vegas Sun'')<ref name="LBH" /> * Bill Wasserzieher (''Village Voice'')<ref name="LBH" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Los Angeles}} *[http://www.presstelegram.com/ The Long Beach Press-Telegram] * [http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/?tfp_display=gallery&tfp_region=USA&tfp_sort_by=state&tfp_page=2&tfp_id=CA_PT Latest Headline of Paper]
{{MediaNews Group}} {{Digital First Media}}
{{Clear}}
Category:Daily newspapers published in Greater Los Angeles Category:Mass media in Long Beach, California Category:MediaNews Group publications Category:Newspapers established in 1897 Category:1897 establishments in California Category:Digital First Media Category:Defunct daily newspapers