{{Short description|Weekly newspaper published in Newport, Oregon}} {{for|the 20th century newspaper|Lincoln County Leader (1893–1987)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox newspaper | name = Lincoln County Leader | logo = | logo_caption = | image = News-Times Building, Newport, Oregon.jpg | image_alt = | caption = Entrance to the Lincoln County Leader building located in Newport, Oregon. Seen in 2022 when property was home to the News-Times. | motto = | type = Weekly newspaper | format = | owner = Country Media, Inc. | founder = | publisher = Joe Warren | editor = Jeremy Ruark | managing_editor = | staff_writers = | founded = {{Start date and age|2024|01|10}} | language = English | headquarters = 831 NE Avery Street | publishing_city = Newport, Oregon | publishing_country = United States | circulation = | circulation_date = | circulation_ref = | readership = | ISSN = | eISSN = | oclc = | RNI = | website = {{URL|newportnewstimes.com}}<br /> {{URL|thenewsguard.com}} }}
The '''''Lincoln County Leader''''' is a weekly newspaper based in Newport, Oregon, United States. It was formed in January 2024 by the merger of the ''Newport News-Times'' and ''Lincoln City News Guard'', both published by Country Media, Inc. The newspaper takes the name of an earlier publication that existed from 1893 to 1987.<ref>{{cite news |last=Heinbach |first=Michael |date=January 15, 2024 |title=Move over News-Times, here comes The Leader |url=https://www.newportnewstimes.com/news/move-over-news-times-here-comes-the-leader/article_f257b21c-af38-11ee-b82e-2fbcff01bfc3.html |work=Lincoln County Leader |access-date=May 4, 2024}}</ref> The ''Leader'' is the newspaper of record for Lincoln County.
== History == At least 20 different newspapers have been published in the Lincoln County area.<ref name="Guardino">{{cite web |author=M. Constance Guardino, III & Rev. Marilyn A. Riedel |date=July 2008 |title=Sovereigns of Themselves: A Liberating History of Oregon and Its Coast, Volume IX |url=http://ftp.wi.net/~census/lesson42.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721002959/http://ftp.wi.net/~census/lesson42.html |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |access-date=February 20, 2011}}</ref> The county's first newspaper was the ''Yaquina Post'', established in 1882 and published in Yaquina City by Collins Van Cleve.<ref name="Guardino" /> In 1889, Van Cleve was also publishing the ''Scio Press'' out of Yaquina City.<ref name="Guardino" /> One of the papers, founded in 1886, was called the ''Newport News'', but it was short-lived.<ref name="turnbull39">{{cite book |last=Turnbull |first=George S. |title=History of Oregon Newspapers |publisher=Binfords & Mort |year=1939 |chapter=Lincoln County}}</ref>
Various newspapers started and closed until 1893, when, in the same year Lincoln County was officially established from part of Benton County, two newspapers were started: the ''Yaquina Bay News'' out of Newport, and the ''Lincoln County Leader'' out of Toledo.<ref name="Guardino" /> In 1947, Monroe Sweetland, owner of the ''Molalla Pioneer'', purchased the 53-year-old ''Yaquina Bay News'' from Doy I. Fruit and the 23-year-old ''Newport Journal'' from Harold Perrine.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 18, 1947 |title=Sweetland Acquires Second Coast Paper |work=The Capital Journal |pages=1}}</ref> He then combined the two to form the ''Newport News.''<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 19, 1947 |title=Newport Papers Are Purchased By Molalla Publisher |work=Medford Mail Tribune |pages=2}}</ref>
In July 1965, the Newport News Publishing Co. purchased the ''Lincoln County Times'' of Waldport following the death of its publisher Dave Hall. The paper was merged that November with the ''Newport News'' to form the '''''Newport'' ''News-Times'''''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 6, 1965 |title=2 Coast Papers Combine to One |work=The Capital Journal |pages=8}}</ref> The ''News-Times'' bought the ''Lincoln County Leader'' about a year later.<ref name="Guardino" /> Both papers were sold by Walter Taylor and Lee Irwin in 1977 to the Democrat-Herald Publishing Co., which published the ''Albany Democrat-Herald''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 10, 1977 |title=Publisher buys 4 weeklies |work=Statesman Journal |pages=37}}</ref> Capital Cities purchased the company in 1980,<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 14, 1980 |title=Paper sale should be final today |work=Albany Democrat-Herald |pages=3}}</ref> which itself was acquired by the Walt Disney Company in 1995.<ref name="Disney acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC Inc.">{{cite news |author=Geraldine Fabrikant |date=5 January 1996 |title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS;Disney and ABC Shareholders Solidly Approve Merger Deal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/05/business/the-media-business-disney-and-abc-shareholders-solidly-approve-merger-deal.html |access-date=July 8, 2013 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Disney sold its Oregon newspapers to Lee Enterprises in 1997.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 9, 1997 |title=Lee Enterprises closes purchase of Oregon newspapers from ABC |work=The Oregonian |pages=45}}</ref>
The ''Beach Resort News'' in Delake started in 1930 and the ''Lincoln Coast Guard'' in Nelscott started in 1937. The two merged in 1939 to form the ''North Lincoln News Guard.'' In 1965, the name was changed to the '''''Lincoln City'' ''News Guard.'''''<ref>{{Cite web |title=North Lincoln Coast Guard in Combination With the Beach Resort News (Delake, Lincoln County, Or.) 1939-1939 |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/sn99063846/ |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref> The paper was purchased in 1967 by Dave Juenke<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Juenke Obituary (2014) - Portland, OR - The Oregonian |url=https://obits.oregonlive.com/us/obituaries/oregon/name/david-juenke-obituary?id=22719414 |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Legacy.com}}</ref> and sold to Scripps-Ifft Newspapers Inc. in 1980.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 2, 1980 |title=Weekly newspapers change hands |work=The Oregonian |pages=43}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 2, 1980 |title=Idaho chain buys papers on coast |work=Statesman Journal |pages=51}}</ref> The company sold the newspaper to Swift-Pioneer Publishing Co. in 1983, which later became Swift Communications.<ref>{{Cite news |date=Jul 21, 1983 |title=The Northwest |work=The Oregonian |pages=61}}</ref> A subsidiary called Pacific Coast Newspapers operated the ''Headlight-Herald,'' along with the ''Seaside Signal'' and ''The News Guard'' in Lincoln City.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bassett |first=Fred |date=May 5, 1988 |title=Strong leadership steered Seaside Signal through financially troubled early years |work=Seaside Signal |page=10}}</ref> The paper was sold to Oregon Coast Newspapers LLC in February 2003. The business was operated by husband-wife team Joe Happ and Kathleen Newton. The couple sold the paper to Country Media, Inc. in April 2007.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2007-04-04 |title=New owners taking over coast papers |url=https://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/news/new-owners-taking-over-coast-papers/article_c3b163a9-650d-55b3-ab07-1589bb2f775e.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003070723/https://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/news/new-owners-taking-over-coast-papers/article_c3b163a9-650d-55b3-ab07-1589bb2f775e.html |archive-date=October 3, 2023 |access-date=2023-09-09 |website=Tillamook Headlight-Herald |language=en}}</ref>
Lee Enterprises sold the ''Newport'' ''News-Times'' in September 2007 to News Media Corporation.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=September 7, 2006 |title=Lee Enterprises Will Sell Shoppers, Other Publications and Commercial Printing Operations in Pacific Northwest |url=https://investors.lee.net/node/7816/pdf |access-date=May 10, 2024 |website=Lee Enterprises}}</ref> The paper was sold again In 2023 to Country Media, Inc.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |last2= |last3= |date=September 5, 2023 |title=News Media Corporation sells Oregon cluster to Country Media, Inc. |url=https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/news-media-corporation-sells-oregon-cluster-to-country-media-inc,245547 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906005338/https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/news-media-corporation-sells-oregon-cluster-to-country-media-inc,245547 |archive-date=September 6, 2023 |access-date=September 9, 2023 |newspaper=Editor and Publisher |language=en}}</ref> In January 2024, Country Media merged the ''Newport News-Times'' and ''Lincoln City News Guard'' into a single newspaper named after the ''Lincoln County Leader'', which had published for 94 years from 1893 to 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Quinton |date=2024-01-11 |title=Newspapers in Newport, Lincoln City combine to form Lincoln County Leader |url=https://yachatsnews.com/newspapers-in-newport-lincoln-city-combine-to-form-lincoln-county-leader/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116160126/https://yachatsnews.com/newspapers-in-newport-lincoln-city-combine-to-form-lincoln-county-leader/ |archive-date=2024-01-16 |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=YachatsNews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The plan was first announced in the previous October.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thornberry |first=David |date=2023-10-09 |title=Editorial: Lincoln County Leader returns |url=https://www.thenewsguard.com/opinion/editorial-lincoln-county-leader-returns/article_04979062-66bb-11ee-8570-537568774f7d.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116155750/https://www.thenewsguard.com/opinion/editorial-lincoln-county-leader-returns/article_04979062-66bb-11ee-8570-537568774f7d.html |archive-date=2024-01-16 |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=The News Guard |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website|www.newportnewstimes.com}}
{{Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association}}
Category:2024 establishments in Oregon Category:Newport, Oregon Category:Newspapers published in Oregon Category:Newspapers established in 2024 Category:Lincoln County, Oregon