Introduction to Seattle News Media.
Seattle is the largest seaport city in Washington, the state of the US. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Seattle metropolitan area had an estimated population of 3.98 million in 2019. Seattle was the fastest growing city of the United States in July 2013. Until May 2015, Seattle remained in the top five fastest growing US cities list. According to The Seattle Times, the annual growth rate of Seattle was 2.1 percent during that period. The city achieved the top position again in July 2016 with an annual growth rate of 3.1 percent.
Media in Seattle
The Seattle Times is the primary daily newspaper publishing in the city. From 1863 to March 17, 2009, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer dominated the print media market. However, popularly known as P-I, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer switched to a website after witnessing a decline in the readership. The Daily, published by the students of the University of Washington, and Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce are among other popular publications of the city.
Alternative newspapers Seattle Weekly and The Stranger are published on a weekly basis, besides a weekly LGBT newspaper, The Seattle Gay News. The homeless persons of the city sell a street newspaper called The Real Change. Ethnic newspapers operating in Seattle include The Facts, International Examiner and Northwest Asian Weekly. Online magazines based in Seattle — Grist and Worldchanging featured in the TIME magazine’s “Top Green Websites” list in 2007.
History of Seattle Newspapers
The Seattle Gazette was the first newspaper of the city as it was started by J.R. Watson on December 10, 1863. However, the early newspaper struggled to survive until it was bought by Sam Maxwell in 1867. Maxwell renamed it to the Weekly Intelligencer. Printer Thaddeus Hanford bought the newspaper in 1878, started publishing it daily and renamed it to Daily Intelligencer. Hanford had paid $8,000 for the newspaper and merged it with his recent acquisitions Pacific and Puget Sound Dispatch. It was in 1881, when the newspaper finally merged with the Seattle Post and became The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Seattle newspapers and websites’ list
Here below we present you a list of some of the most prominent newspapers and websites operating in Seattle. With this list of prominent Seattle newspapers and other publications, we have tried to explain the origin, operations, status and relevance of these Seattle based mediahouses.
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a daily newspaper headquartered in Seattle. Its origin goes back to 1891. Since 1896, the newspaper has been under the control of Blethen family. Owned by The Seattle Times Company, its rates are higher outside Washington state. Walla Walla and Yakima are its sister publications. It is published in the broadsheet format.
Origin And History
Initially, The Seattle Times was a four-page newspaper with a daily circulation of 3500, according to Wikipedia. It was bought by Alden J. Blethen in 1896 who renamed it from Seattle Press-Times to Seattle Daily Times. On March 6, 2000, the newspaper switched from afternoon to morning publication.
Digital Media Presence
The Seattle Times also has a news portal. For the convenience of its readers, the website has segregated the news stories into various sections such as local, sports, entertainment, life and homes among others. It is present on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The Seattle Times also offers mobile application for both Android and iOS devices. “The Seattle Times serves the Northwest with thoughtful, independent journalism that makes a difference,” it states in the About section of its website.
Controversy
The Seattle Times triggered a controversy with its sub headline published in February 2002 that read: “American outshines Kwan, Slutskaya in skating surprise”. The story was published after Sarah Hughes bagged 2002 Olympics gold medal. It was slammed by Asian American community leaders as Kwan is also an American.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer is a defunct print newspaper and a digital newspaper based in Seattle city of Washington state in the U.S. It was one of the two major daily newspapers in Seattle. The other one was The Seattle Times. Seattle Post-Intelligencer got its name from the merger of two newspapers- Intelligencer and Seattle Post.
Origin And History
Established on December 10, 1863 as a weekly newspaper, it was known as Seattle Gazette. It was founded by J.R. Watson as Seattle’s first newspaper. However, it failed to evoke the interest of the readers and was sold to Sam Maxwell in 1867. He renamed it Weekly Intelligencer. On March 16, 2009, the newspaper announced its closure with short news on the front page. The story said that the next day’s edition would be the last one in print. On March 18, Seattle Post-Intelligencer automatically transferred its print subscribers to The Seattle Times.
Digital Media Presence
Seattle Post-Intelligencer became the “first major metro daily newspaper to go online-only”. It claims to be read by around 4 million readers per month. The portal is a part of Hearst Seattle Media, a division of The Hearst Corp. To cater to the interest of its readers, the website has sections such as US & world, sports, real estate, travel, local and food & dining among others. It is also available on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Online
The Stranger
The Stranger is a defunct alternative bi-weekly newspaper and a website based in Seattle. Established by Tim Keck, its first issue appeared on September 23, 1991. The Stranger won a Pulitzer Prize on April 16, 2012. Eli Sanders won the award for “The Bravest Woman In Seattle,” in the Feature Writing category. On March 13, 2020, The Stranger made an announcement that it would be shutting down its print operations due to loss in revenue. It even created a fundraiser online to help keep the newspaper afloat.
Digital Media Presence
The Stranger is currently available only as a website. It has several sections such as comics & games, food & drink, news, arts and many more. It is even available on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. “Our innovative, interactive calendar, Things To Do, is Seattle’s most popular and exhaustive source of event information,” it states on its Facebook page.
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin is a daily newspaper published in the broadsheet format. It is owned by The Seattle Times Company since October 1, 1971. The newspaper traces its roots to 1869 when Walla Walla Union was established a weekly newspaper. It is formed with the merger of two newspapers- Walla Walla Bulletin and Walla Walla Union. They were merged by John G. Kelly in 1934. Walla Walla Union-Bulletin also has a news portal with sections such as news, sports, opinion, obituaries, marketplace, lifestyle and things to do among others.
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Online
The Daily of the University of Washington
The Daily of the University of Washington is a student newspaper of the University of Washington. Based in Seattle city of Washington state, it was established in September 1891. Back then, the newspaper was known as The Pacific Wave and was printed under the same title until June 1908. Amid coronavirus pandemic in 2020, The Daily of the University of Washington became bi-weekly email newsletter along with regularly updated news website on weekday.
The Daily of the University of Washington Online
The Daily of the University of Washington ePaper
Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly is a defunct newspaper based in Seattle. It was an alternative biweekly established by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster. Its first issue appeared on March 31, 1976 as The Weekly. It published its last print edition on February 27, 2019. The website was launched on March 1, 2019. Seattle Weekly is also available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Daily Journal of Commerce
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce is a newspaper published from Monday to Saturday. Established in 1895 as The Bulletin, it is published in the English language. Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce also has a news website with categories such as business, construction, real estate, environment, tech and money among others.
Daily Journal of Commerce Online
Puget Sound Business Journal
Puget Sound Business Journal is a business newspaper owned by American City Business Journals. The company owns 40 newspapers and is based in Charlotte. Puget Sound Business Journal also has a news website with sections like commercial real estate, banking & financial services, energy, education, government & regulations, health care among others. It is even present on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Puget Sound Business Journal Online
Puget Sound Business Journal ePaper
Ballard News-Tribune
Ballard News-Tribune was a weekly newspaper established in 1891. It used to serve Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. On August 21, 2013, an announcement was made that Ballard News-Tribune, West Seattle Herald, White Center News and Highline Times would be merged to form The Westside Weekly. It was later renamed to Westside Seattle. It is currently available as a news portal.
West Seattle Herald
West Seattle Herald was a newspaper covering West Seattle. Established in 1923, it became a part of The Westside Weekly in 2013 along with Highline Times, Ballard News-Tribune and White Center News. In June 2017, The Westside Weekly was renamed to Westside Seattle. West Seattle Herald has a website. It is even present on Facebook and Twitter.
Northwest Asian Weekly
The Northwest Asian Weekly is a free weekly newspaper that serves the Asian American community of Seattle. In 1982, Assunta Ng launched The Northwest Asian Weekly under the title of Seattle Chinese Post. The average circulation of the newspaper is 16,000 copies.
Real Change
Real Change is a Seattle-based newspaper that is published by media professionals but sold and distributed by homeless self-employed vendors. The progressive street newspaper comes on a weekly basis and voices the justice issues of homeless and poor people.
North American Post
The North American Post is a Seattle-based Japanese language newspaper that has been in circulation since 1902. With prime focus on the Pacific Northwest region, The North American Post comes twice in a week. The Saturday edition of the newspaper comes in Japanese, while the Wednesday edition features news in both the English and Japanese languages.
International Examiner
The International Examiner is a Seattle-based newspaper, which is distributed for free on a biweekly basis. The newspaper has been serving the Asian American community in Seattle since 1974. Gerald Yuasa and Lawrence Imamura were the founders of The International Examiner.
Conclusion
Seattle is the hub of media in the US state of Washington. In 2009, the city had the 20th largest print media market in the United States. The newspapers published in Seattle are also available in Puget Sound and Western Washington.
In 1999, the media of Seattle came to the forefront with protests against the city’s World Trade Organization after establishment of an Independent Media Center. The online media is on boom in Seattle because of the fact that Microsoft has its headquarters near Seattle in Redmond.
Prominent Papers
The Seattle Times the most read newspaper of the state. It is jointly owned by a city-native, Blethen family, and the McClatchy Company. The Sunday edition of the newspaper has the largest circulation across the Pacific Northwest region.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer was another popular newspaper of the city, which has now turned online only. Hearst Corporation owns the digital newspaper. For the coverage of economic news, the city has The Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. The Daily of the University of Washington is the most prominent school paper of the city.
Crisis
In 2009, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer suspended its print publication and decided to go online-only with SeattlePI.com. The announcement shook the city as The Seattle Post-Intelligencer was one of two prime papers in Seattle. The Seattle Times was also struggling with finances at the same time, but it took the risk and increased the print circulation by 30 percent.
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.
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