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 Columbus Telegram vending machines | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Lee Enterprises |
| Founder(s) | W. N. Hensley |
| Publisher | Carrie Colburn |
| Editor | Monica Garcia |
| Founded | February 28, 1874, as the Columbus Era |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 1254 27th Avenue Columbus, Nebraska 68601 United States |
| Circulation | 4,314 Daily (as of 2022)[1] |
| OCLC number | 1002004395 |
| Website | columbustelegram |
The Columbus Telegram is a newspaper owned by Lee Enterprises and published in Columbus, in the east-central part of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. It is delivered on Tuesday through Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning.[2]
On February 28, 1874, W. N. Hensley founded the Columbus Era.[3][4] At that time, Columbus had two newspapers, the Journal and the Republican, both Republican in policy. Hensley, a young lawyer, was working for Dr. George Miller, publisher of the Omaha Herald and a leader in the Democratic Party, who advised him to start a Democratic newspaper in Columbus.[5]
The Era briefly ceased publication in November 1880; on April 9, 1881, it reappeared as the Columbus Democrat, managed by A. B. Coffroth and J. K. Coffroth.[4] In 1892, the name was changed to the Telegram.[6] In the early 1890s, D. Frank Davis attempted to publish the newspaper as a daily; however, Columbus was not large enough to support this, and the paper resumed weekly publication.[5]
In 1900, Edgar Howard bought the Telegram from J. L. Paschal, who had been elected state senator.[7] A lawyer and newspaperman, Howard was a strong Democrat. In 1883, he had purchased the Papillion Times in Papillion, Nebraska; in 1887, he had left the Times to go to Benkelman in southwestern Nebraska, where he founded the Dundy Democrat. In 1890, he had returned to Papillion and bought back the Times.[8] He had served a few months as William Jennings Bryan's private secretary in 1891;[9] in 1894, he was elected to a term in the Nebraska House of Representatives representing Sarpy County;[9][10] in 1896, he had resigned this seat to become probate judge of Sarpy County.[8] In 1900, he made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in Congress. In that same year, he sold the Times, moved to Columbus, and purchased the Telegram.[9] He remained its editor for over fifty years.[7]
In 1901, Howard incorporated the newspaper as the Telegram Company. In 1912, Zela H. Loomis, who had worked as a reporter and day editor for two Fremont, Nebraska newspapers,[11] became managing editor and city editor of the Telegram; in the following year, he became vice-president of the company.[12]
In 1922, the Telegram Company bought out the Columbus Daily News and ended publication of that title; the Telegram went from weekly to daily publication as the Columbus Daily Telegram.[5] In that year, Howard was elected to the United States House of Representatives.[10] He sold most of his stock to his associates in the company; however, at their request, he retained enough to allow him to remain president of the company and editor of the paper for the rest of his life.[7] Howard was re-elected to the House five times, serving from 1923 to 1935. In 1934, he lost the seat to Karl Stefan.[10]
In 1940, Zela Loomis acquired a controlling interest in the Telegram Company and became editor-publisher of the newspaper.[12] After Howard's death in 1951, Loomis's name appeared at the top of the masthead as editor.[13] Zela Loomis died in 1957,[12] whereupon his widow Svea Loomis became president and associate editor,[14] and their son Laird Loomis general manager.[15]
In 1969, the Loomis family sold the newspaper to Freedom Newspapers, Inc.[16][17] Shortly after the transaction, the "Daily" was removed from the name, leaving it the Columbus Telegram.[18][19] In 1974, the newspaper made the conversion from letterpress to offset printing.[15]
The Omaha World-Herald Company bought the Telegram from Freedom Newspapers in September 1989.[20] At the same time, the World-Herald bought the Pawnee Scout shopper, which they merged with the Telegram.[15]
In 1998, the World-Herald sold the Telegram to Independent Media Group, Inc. (IMG). At the time of the sale, the paper's circulation was reported as 11,500.[21] IMG was sold to Lee Enterprises and to Liberty Group Publishing in 2000;[22] Lee acquired the Telegram,[23] whose circulation was again reported as 11,500; the circulation of the Scout Shopper was given as 13,000.[24]
The publisher of the Telegram is Carrie Colburn, who also publishes the daily York News-Times and the weekly David City Banner-Press and Schuyler Sun. Colburn was appointed to the position in 2021.[25] The editor is Monica Garcia.[26]
The market area for the newspaper consists of 24,000 households in seven counties in east central Nebraska: Boone, Butler, Colfax, Merrick, Nance, Platte, and Polk. A weekly supplement, the Telegram Advantage, is delivered to both subscribers and non-subscribers.[2]
