Introduction to Charlotte News Media.
Charlotte is a city of North Carolina, a state in the US. According to the United States Census Bureau, the population of Charlotte was estimated at 885,708 in 2019. Charlotte is known for the cultural, transportation and economic development of North Carolina. The city hosted as many as 888,000 new residents in years between 2004 and 2014. It was the time when Charlotte ranked as the fastest-growing metro area in the United States.
Media in Charlotte
Newspapers are mostly trusted for news in Charlotte. The Charlotte Observer is the city newspaper with the largest circulation, when combined in North Carolina and South Carolina. The radio market of Charlotte is also quite relevant with stations like Entercom, Radio One and iHeartMedia operating in the city. WFAE News is the local National Public Radio station and it broadcasts many podcasts and shows.
In the 2016–2017 season, the Nielsen Media Research claimed that Charlotte has the largest television media market in North Carolina. CBS, ABC, NBC, The CW and PBS are among the broadcasters operating in Charlotte. ESPN-administered SEC Network and Fox Sports Carolinas are famous sports networks that operate in the city.
History of Charlotte Newspapers
The first newspaper of the city was The Charlotte News. The afternoon newspaper was first published on December 8, 1888. The Knight Newspapers bought the publishing rights of The Charlotte News on April 5, 1959. The company already owned The Charlotte Observer. Except for the editorial content, all operations of the two newspapers were merged by the Knight Newspapers in 1983. However, The Charlotte News had to suspend its operations on November 1, 1985, and The Charlotte Observer went on to become the largest supplier of news in the city.
Now owned by The McClatchy Company, The Charlotte Observer was established in 1886 and it achieved the second largest circulation in the Carolinas by 2020, claims the North Carolina Press Association.
Charlotte newspapers and websites’ list
Here below we present you a list of some of the most prominent newspapers and websites operating in Charlotte. With this list of prominent Charlotte newspapers and other publications, we have tried to explain the origin, operations, status and relevance of these Charlotte based media houses.
The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer is an English language paper that is circulated in Charlotte city of North Carolina, a state in the US. The first issue of The Charlotte Observer was published in 1886. According to Alliance for Audited Media, The Charlotte Observer had second largest circulation in the US states of North Carolina and South Carolina combined in 2020.
Ownership
The McClatchy Company owns The Charlotte Observer, which also serves Mecklenburg County, Iredell, Union, Cabarrus, Lancaster, Gaston, York, Catawba and Lincoln besides the city of Charlotte. In the recent past, home delivery of the newspaper has declined. For outside of Charlotte, the newspaper has outsourced its circulation services.
Circulation
In May 2011, the circulation of The Charlotte Observer was estimated at 155,497 for its daily edition with 212,318 copies circulation for the Sunday edition. However, the circulation fell drastically by 2017 as daily circulation was recorded 69,987 and Sunday edition circulation was recorded 106,434.
Website
The Charlotte Observer is going strong on the internet. With sections like Coronavirus, Local News, Sports, Arts / Culture and Business, website of The Charlotte Observer serves the entire of the country. The staff of the news website also manages a NASCAR news website, That’sRacin. WBTV is the television partner of The Charlotte Observer and its videos can be watched on its website.
The Charlotte Observer Android App
The Charlotte Observer iOS App
Rhino Times
The Rhino Times is an English language website with its base in Guilford County of North Carolina. The website with sections like News, Columns, Opinion, Real Estate, Archives and Obituaries is known to be conservative in approach. It was launched as The Rhinoceros Times in 1991. From 2002 to 2008, The Rhino Times published a print edition, which couldn’t attract much readership.
The Charlotte Post
The Charlotte Post is a weekly newspaper that serves the African American population residing in Charlotte city of North Carolina. The Charlotte Post Publishing Company owns the newspaper, which has won numerous local and national awards. Established in 1878, The Charlotte Post has a website as well with its presence on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
The Mecklenburg Times
The Mecklenburg Times is an English language newspaper for the coverage of news related to Mecklenburg County with its headquarters in Charlotte. Launched in in 1923, the daily newspaper is a part of the North Carolina Press Association. The Mecklenburg Times has a news website as well with its presence on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. One can also read the digital version of The Mecklenburg Times on its website.
Charlotte Weekly
Charlotte Weekly is a city based weekly newspaper, which is popularly known as the South Charlotte Weekly. The newspaper has a website as well with separate sections for South Charlotte Weekly, Union County Weekly and Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly. Charlotte Weekly is owned and managed by the Charlotte Media Group and its E-Edition is available on the website.
The Triangle Tribune
The Triangle Tribune is a weekly newspaper that has its base in Durham city of North Carolina. Established in 1998, The Triangle Tribune primarily serves the African American community of the state. It is owned by the Charlotte Post Publishing Company, which also owns The Charlotte Post. The Triangle Tribune has a website as well and one can follow it on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube for news and updates.
Q-Notes
Q-Notes is an LGBT newspaper that serve North Carolina and South Carolina from its headquarters in Charlotte. The alternative weekly newspaper has a circulation of 11,000 copies, which makes it the most read in the American Southeast region. In 1983, Charlotte LGBT organization Queen City Quordinators started the paper in the form of a monthly newsletter. In 1986, Q-Notes became a monthly tabloid before merging with Raleigh, N.C. LGBT newspaper The Front Page in 2006.
Conclusion
Charlotte is witnessing a decline in the readership of print newspapers like all other cities of the United States. The Charlotte Observer is the most read newspaper as of 2021 in Charlotte and second most read in North Carolina and South Carolina combined according to Alliance for Audited Media.
Ranking it atop the list of top 10 circulated newspapers in North Carolina, Agility PR says for years, The Charlotte Observer has managed “to accurately reflect the region and what matters to the local residents” in its coverage of news.
Current Status
The city with numerous media sources boasts of its television market to be the 24th largest in the United States. According to Nielsen Media Research, the Charlotte’s TV market is the largest in North Carolina. CBS, ABC, Estrella TV, The CW, 3ABN, FamilyNet LeSEA Worship Network, PBS/SCETV, NBC, Cozi TV, Azteca América, PBS, Fox, MyNetworkTV and PBS/UNC-TV are among the channels with local television stations in Charlotte.
The radio market of Charlotte is also the country’s 24th largest, claims Arbitron. Close to 50 broadcast radio stations serve the Charlotte radio market:
Defunct Papers
The Southern Service, The Weekly Observer, Tobacco Leaf., Charlotte Observer, The Charlotte Chronicle, The Evening Bulletin, The Evening Chronicle and Evening Press are among the city newspapers that are no longer in publication. The coronavirus pandemic also affected the print media in Charlotte, as much as any other city in the US. However, the website business is getting better day by day.
While the propelling industry knows no bounds, we at MediaBuzz are working hard to provide encyclopedic coverage of all the news sources. We are a team of professional writers with a knack for the trends in the world of journalism.
We are always looking for suggestions to produce a more concise list.
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