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Houston newspapers and Houston newspaper list

Introduction to Houston News Media.

Houston is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in southeast Texas, it is the fourth most populous city of the United States. Houston was founded on August 20, 1836. On June 5, 1837, it was incorporated as a city. Houston got its name from General Sam Houston, former president of the Republic of Texas. The city has several nicknames such as Space City, H-Town and Bayou City.

History of Houston Newspapers

Telegraph and Texas Register, established in 1835 was the second permanent newspaper in the state of Texas and one of the first newspapers in Houston. It was originally named Telegraph and Texas Planter. However, Telegraph and Texas Planter was renamed soon after it started publication. After having its headquarters in San Felipe from 1835-1836, Harrisburg in 1836 and Columbia from 1836-1837, it shifted to Houston and remained there from 1837-1877. After the annexation of Texas to the U.S. in 1846, it was renamed to Democratic Telegraph and Texas Register.

Telegraph and Texas Register started as a weekly and went on to become a tri weekly publication and then daily before it permanently shut its operation in 1877. It was later acquired by Gail Borden Johnson, the founder of Houston Post.

In 1839, another newspaper, Houston Morning Star, was launched. It was printed in the office of Telegraph and Texas Register. The newspapers even interchanged news stories and reports. Houston Morning Star was considered a modern newspaper as compared to its contemporaries. However, it carried more advertisements than news. The last issue was published in 1850. After that it was acquired by Houston Telegraph.

Current Status

At present, Houston Chronicle is the only daily newspaper in Houston and its metropolitan area. The owner of the newspaper, Hearst Communication, acquired its main rival, Houston Post, in 1995. There was another important newspaper known as Houston Press. It was a free alternative weekly newspaper until Hurricane Harvey compelled it to go completely digital on November 2, 2017. Houston Forward Times, OutSmart, and La Voz de Houston are among other important publications of Houston.

Houston newspapers and websites’ list

We have shared a list of the most prominent newspapers and websites operating in Houston below. Along with the list of prominent Houston newspapers and other publications, we have also tried to discuss the origin, status and relevance of these Houston based mediaunits.

Chron

Chron.com is one of the websites of Houston’s biggest newspaper, The Houston Chronicle, with the other one being houstonchronicle.com. Media conglomerate Hearst Corporation operated the newspaper and both its websites independently of each other.

Chron.com can be accessed for free. It features breaking news and updates related to weather, pop culture, traffic, events listings, and city guides. The houstonchronicle.com, on the other hand, was launched in 2012 to start a subscription model.

Houston newspapers 1 chron website

Chron.com Online

Houston Chronicle

Houston newspapers 2 Houston Chronicle

The Houston Chronicle is the most read newspaper not only in Houston but also in Texas. In fact, its Sunday edition was third-largest circulated newspaper in the United States, following The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

In 1995, The Houston Chronicle acquired the business of long-time rival The Houston Post and became the newspaper of record for Houston. The website of The Houston Chronicle claims to record an average of 125 million page views on a monthly basis.

Houston newspapers 2 Houston Chronicle website

Houston Chronicle Online

Houston Chronicle Android App

Houston Chronicle iOS App

Houston Press

The Houston Press was a newspaper that now acts as a news website in Houston. With headquarters in the Midtown area, The Houston Press used to publish on a weekly basis until November 2017.

The Houston Press is distributed for free and financially depends on advertising. The Houston Press claims to host 1.6 million online users on a monthly basis. Most of the restaurants, retail stores and coffee houses in Houston used to have the copies of The Houston Press when it was in publication.

Houston newspapers 3 Houston Press website

Houston Press Online

The Daily News

Houston newspapers 4 Daily News

The Daily News is a Galveston-based newspaper of Texas. It is the city’s oldest newspaper as the first edition was published on April 11, 1842. On October 1, 1885. The Daily News welcomed its sister publication The Dallas Morning News. The daily newspaper was earlier known as Galveston County Daily News and Galveston Daily News.

For the City of Galveston and Galveston County, The Daily News serves as the newspaper of record.

Houston newspapers 4 Daily News website

The Daily News Online

The Daily News ePaper

Conroe Courier

The Courier is a Conroe-based newspaper of Texas. It primarily covers Montgomery County. The Houston Community Newspapers (HCN) group owns the daily newspaper and its website with sections like News, Sports, Business, Real Estate, Education, Events, Community and Opinion among others.

Houston newspapers 5 Conroe Courier website

Conroe Courier Online

The Leader

The Leader is a community newspaper of the Houston Heights. Besides home delivery in the Houston Heights, the weekly newspaper is distributed in the northwest Houston communities as well like Garden Oaks and Oak Forest.

Houston newspapers 6 The Leader website

The Leader Online

The Leader ePaper

Houston Defender

Houston newspapers 7 Houston Defender

The Houston Defender is a Houston-based newspaper that serves the African-American community of Texas. The weekly newspaper was first published on October 11, 1930. Houston Informer publisher C. F. Richardson Sr. started the Defender to advocate the rights of the African-American community in the pre-Civil Rights era.

Houston newspapers 7 Houston Defender website

Defender Online

Defender ePaper

Rice Thresher

The Rice Thresher is a college newspaper published on a weekly basis by the students of Rice University in Houston. The first issue of The Rice Thresher was published in 1916. According to Mondo Times, The Rice Thresher has an estimated circulation of 3,000 copies.

Houston newspapers 8 Rice Thresher website

Rice Thresher Online

Baytown Sun

Houston newspapers 9 Baytown Sun

The Baytown Sun is a Texas paper for the coverage of Baytown. The first issue of The Baytown Sun published in 1919 under the title of Goose Creek Gasser. Houston-based Southern Newspapers Inc. owns the newspaper and its website with sections like Obits, News, Communities, Sports, Opinion and Entertainment among others.

Houston newspapers 9 Baytown Sun website

Baytown Sun Online

Baytown Sun ePaper

Daily Cougar

The Cougar is a college newspaper published on a weekly basis by the students of the University of Houston. The first issue of The Cougar was published on April 6, 1928. It is entirely funded by the school. During the school year, the newspaper is published every Wednesday, though its website is updated on a daily basis.

Houston newspapers 10 Daily Cougar website

Daily Cougar Online

Daily Cougar ePaper

Jewish Herald-Voice

Houston newspapers 11 Jewish Herald Voice

The Jewish Herald-Voice is a newspaper for the Jewish community of Gulf Coast in Texas. With its base in Upper Kirby, Houston, the weekly newspaper has been the longest-running Jewish paper since its establishment in 1908. According to American Jewish Publication Association, The Jewish Herald-Voice has a circulation of 7,000 copies and readership of over 30,000.

Houston newspapers 11 Jewish Herald Voice website

Jewish Herald-Voice Online

Jewish Herald-Voice ePaper

Fort Bend Star

Houston newspapers 12 Fort Bend Star

The Fort Bend Star publishes on a weekly basis in Stafford, Greater Houston. Beverly “Bev” Carter established the newspaper in 1978. Talking about a personal column by Carter, Houston Chronicle’s Mike Glenn commented it “mixed homey personal anecdotes with sometimes biting political observations”.

Houston newspapers 12 Fort Bend Star website

Fort Bend Star Online

Fort Bend Star ePaper

India Herald

Houston newspapers 13 India Herald

India Herald is a community newspaper published in Sugar Land city of Texas. India Herald also has a website that features its E-Edition and publishes news stories in categories like Community, Religion / Philosophy, Business and Opinion among others.

Houston newspapers 13 India Herald website

India Herald Online

India Herald ePaper

India Herald Android App

India Herald iOS App

Conclusion

Houston has one of the biggest newspapers of Texas in the form of Houston Chronicle. It is owned by Hearst Communications. Until 1995, the city had The Houston Post as Houston Chronicle’s man competitor but it season operations and sold it to Hearst Communications. Former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby owned The Houston Post.

Prominent Papers

Currently, Houston Chronicle face a little bit of competition from The Houston Press. The free weekly newspaper has been operating as a website only since November 2, 2017. Hurricane Harvey was the major reason behind the suspension of the print edition of The Houston Press.

Ethnic Papers

Other widely read newspapers of the city include OutSmart and Houston Forward Times. To serve the Spanish language readers in Houston, the city has La Voz de Houston. It comes as a supplement to Houston Chronicle.

According to a book titled ‘The Michigan Story’, Houston Forward Times is probably the biggest black-owned newspapers in Texas. It is published by Forward Times Publishing Company. OutSmart is a magazine that serves the LGBT community of Houston. In 2008, The Houston Press had termed it the “Best Local Magazine”.

Defunct Papers

Like everywhere in the world, the newspaper companies in Houston also had to struggle for survival amid the coronavirus pandemic. While some switched to an online-only mode, some newspapers had to shut their operations. El Día, La Gaceta, Mexicana, Houston Post, Public News and Telegraph and Texas Register are among the most prominent defunct newspapers of Houston.

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 Houston?

Which Houston newspaper is best with no bias?

Who controls the media in Houston?

What is the oldest existing English language newspaper in Houston?

What are the different newspapers in Houston?

What is the best Houston news website?

Did we miss any deserving newspaper or news website?

What are your views on the political inclinations of different Houston newspapers?

What are the best Houston newspapers for business, entertainment and sports news?

Is there any particular Houston newspaper that caught your attention?

Do you have any other information related to Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston media.

For more details please contact us at mediabuzz.org@gmail.com

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