Introduction to Austin News Media.
Austin is the capital of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the eleventh most populous city in the United States. In 2015 and 2016, Austin was named the fastest growing large city in the U.S. Austin is also known as the “City of the Violet Crown” due to the beautiful glow of light which is visible after the sunset across the hills. It is located northwest of Houston, south of Dallas and northeast of San Antonio.
History of Austin Newspapers
According to the website of the Texas State Historical Association, Austin City Gazette was the first newspaper published in Austin. Headed by Samuel Whiting, the first issue of the newspaper appeared on October 30, 1839. It was a weekly newspaper appearing on Wednesday. The four-page newspaper was available at a subscription rate of five dollars per year.
The Austin City Gazette supported agricultural development in the state of Texas. George K. Teulon became its editor in January 1840. The newspaper acted as a publisher to the Texas Congress from January 1840 to March 1842. Half of its space was full of laws, proceedings of Congress and presidential decrees. It carried local and national news besides advertisements and occasional poetry, essays and fictions, which were reprinted from other journals. The newspaper suspended its operations in March 1842 due to the threatened Mexican invasion. However, its scattered issues continued appearing until August 17, 1842. The Austin City Gazette was continued by Austin Western Advocate.
Prominent Papers
At present, the major daily newspaper in Austin is the Austin American-Statesman. Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly of the city. Austin Business Journal is a weekly business newspaper. The city also has several sub-regional newspapers like Hill Country News, Round Rock Leader, The Villager, Oak Hill Gazette, Westlake Picayune and NOKOA among others.
Austin newspapers and websites’ list
We have shared a list of the most prominent newspapers and websites operating in Austin below. Along with the list of prominent Austin newspapers and other publications, we have also tried to discuss the origin, status and relevance of these Austin based mediaunits.
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the biggest newspaper of Austin. It is published on a daily basis by Gannett under its USA Today Network. The newspaper is highly trusted as it uses news resources like Associated Press, The Washington Post, New York Times and Los Angeles Times. The political reporting of The Austin American-Statesman is widely read in Texas.
Music Coverage
Besides hard news, The Austin American-Statesman is also known for its coverage of soft news like everything related to music. It covers annual South by Southwest Music Festival like no other publication. It also sponsors many events in Austin like the Capital 10K and the Season for Caring charity campaign.
Competitors
Even though The Austin American-Statesman rules the readership in Austin, it faces occasional competition from alternative weekly Austin Chronicle.
Supplements
On a weekly basis, The Austin American-Statesman also publishes a Spanish language paper titled ‘¡ahora sí!’. The newspaper also has a partnership with St. Petersburg Times for PolitiFact Texas.
Circulation
According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, The Austin American-Statesman was 60th most circulated daily newspaper in the United States in 2009. In 2008, the Wayback Machine claimed that The Austin American-Statesman is read by 68 percent residents of Central Texas.
Political Inclinations
In the US presidential elections 2000 and 2004, The Austin American-Statesman endorsed George W. Bush, followed by support for Republican governor Rick Perry in 2006. However, The Austin American-Statesman changed its line in the 2008 presidential election and supported Barack Obama.
Austin American-Statesman Online
Austin American-Statesman ePaper
Austin American-Statesman Android App
Austin American-Statesman iOS App
The Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is a Thursday paper of Austin. It is circulated for free at the news-stands, local eateries and coffee houses throughout the city. According to the Texas Music Office in 2001, The Austin Chronicle has an average weekly readership of 545,500. Member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, The Austin Chronicle follows the style of typical publications of the 1960s.
History
In 1981, Nick Barbaro and Louis Black has established The Austin Chronicle. Initially a bi-weekly publication, The Austin Chronicle soon became a weekly newspaper. The newspaper’s style is highly inspired by a former bi-weekly, Austin Sun, which ceased publication inside of four years in 1978. The first edition of The Austin Chronicle was published on September 4, 1981.
The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan is a college newspaper published by the students of the University of Texas in Austin. The newspaper has an average daily circulation of 12,000 copies during the fall and spring semesters. It is independently funded by the students. The Texas Student Media oversees the content published by The Daily Texan.
Austin Daily Herald
The Austin Daily Herald is a newspaper that is comes from Tuesday to Saturday in Austin. According to Mondo Times, the average circulation of The Austin Daily Herald is 5,280. An edition of the newspaper titled ‘Shopping News’ is quite popular in the region. The Sunday supplement has circulation of 16,000 copies, according to the Library of Congress.
Oak Hill Gazette
Oak Hill Gazette was a community newspaper that served the Oak Hill region of southwest Austin on a weekly basis. The 1995-established publication now operates a news website with sections like News, Sports, Life, Columns, Calendar and History among others.
The Villager
The Villager is a free community newspaper published by the Black Registry Publishing Company in Austin, Texas. T. L. Wyatt is the Editor-in-Chief of the weekly newspaper (2021). “The Villager focuses on community and national news, events, announcements and newsmakers, as expressed in general, political, business and sports news, along with editorials and comments.” reads its mission on the website.
Austin Sun
The Austin Sun was a biweekly newspaper of Austin, which is now available only as a news website. The publication describes itself as a “Journal of Humor, Music, Art & Politics for Austin & the Surrounding World, Since 1974” on its website. Opener, Features, Contents and Comments are among its sections.
El Mundo
El Mundo is a Spanish language newspaper based in Austin .It also serves San Antonio. The first edition of El Mundo was published in 1990. In 2000, the newspaper started serving other parts of the Central Texas region, followed by its entry in the San Antonio media market in August 2004. El Mundo also hosts an event called “Back to School Fest” on an annual basis in Austin.
Conclusion
Austin has a strong network of newspapers. The Austin American-Statesman is undoubtedly the city’s biggest daily newspaper. The Austin Chronicle is another popular newspaper that comes on an alternative weekly basis. The University of Texas publishes a student newspaper under the title of The Daily Texan in Austin.
Prominent Papers
Other prominent newspapers of Austin include Austin Business Journal, which a business weekly and online publication The Austin Monitor. The Monitor is popularly known for its coverage of City Hall, AISD and Travis County Commissioners Court.
The city is also served by sub-regional newspapers like Oak Hill Gazette, Hill Country News, Westlake Picayune, Round Rock Leader, The Villager and NOKOA. Austin also has a monthly magazine in Texas Monthly. For the coverage of political news, Austin has a biweekly called The Texas Observer for more than five decades.
News at Doorstep
Community Impact Newspaper is published on a weekly basis in Austin. The John Garrett-published newspaper comes in five regional editions, all of which are delivered to every house of Austin. The Texas Tribune is an Austin-based newspaper with a state-wide circulation. It focuses on Texas politics like no other state newspaper. The Tribune claims to be “user-supported” as it receives donations from its readers.
Ethnic Newspapers
El Mundo is the most prominent Spanish language newspaper published in Austin. The Rag is an underground newspaper that covers political news and may not be in publication any longer. Austin Citizen, Austin Press, Austin Times Herald and The Villager are other newspapers published in Austin.
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.
Please help us with your answers for the below questions in the comment section.
How many newspaper do we have in Austin?
Which Austin newspaper is best with no bias?
Who controls the media in Austin?
What is the oldest existing English language newspaper in Austin?
What are the different newspapers in Austin?
What is the best Austin news website?
Did we miss any deserving newspaper or news website?
What are your views on the political inclinations of different Austin newspapers?
What are the best Austin newspapers for business, entertainment and sports news?
Is there any particular Austin newspaper that caught your attention?
Do you have any other information related to Austin tabloids?
Important Note:
We are always looking for people with a background in media/journalism/mass communication to contribute more articles for us. If you are an expert in the Austin media industry, we would like you to help us make this article better.
We are also looking for companies/people who wish to sponsor this article and empower us to research and cover more valuable information about the Austin media.
For more details please contact us at mediabuzz.org@gmail.com