The roots of the Denver Post can be traced back to the late 1800s when Thomas Hoyt, a young man, started it as a community paper. In actuality, Denver was home to the first African-American presidential candidate, Barack Obama. Despite his modest success however, there have been a number of challenges for the Denver Post over the years. This article examines the history of Denver's local newspapers including the rise and fall of the Rocky Mountain News, and Hoyt's impact on the city's media.
The story of how Rocky Mountain News became a tabloid newspaper is well-known. In the early 1990s, the paper published a series of stories which accused the political rival Fred Bonfils of blackmailing fellow Democrats. The controversy caused a public outcry. Bonfils was detained and tried for contempt of the court. After the Rocky Mountain News published the article, Bonfils attacked its publisher and later allegedly beat up Sen. Thomas Patterson with a cane. The Denver Daily News continued its campaign to get rid of the city's most well-known villain. This campaign took nearly a decade. The first issue of the newspaper was published on April 23, 1859, two years before Colorado became an independent state. The newspaper was founded in 1859, two years before Abe Lincoln was elected president and 17 years before the state was admitted to the union. The Rocky was famous for its fight against corrupt officials and criminal bosses. In 1885 The Rocky newspaper was named the Best Newspaper in Denver, and the first Pulitzer Prize in photography was awarded to the Rocky. Rocky and The Post also agreed to join their circulation, advertising and production departments. The Rocky was granted the JOA by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. In the late 1800s the Rocky Mountain News faced numerous issues, but it was able to overcome these and eventually become a well-known tabloid newspaper in Denver. After World War II, Jack Foster as editor was sent to Denver to close down the newspaper. Following this, the Rocky Mountain News changed to tabloid-style and doubled its circulation. By the end of that period, it was an all-day newspaper with circulation of more than 400,000. In 1926, the E. W. Scripps Company purchased the Rocky Mountain News. Despite losing $16million in the year before, it was still profitable. In 1987, the newspaper was bought by William Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group. The newspaper was in a constant battle with the Denver Post for the audience. In 1987, MediaNews Group acquired the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. After William Byers brought a printing press to Denver and began writing the first Rocky Mountain News. The Rocky Mountain News was followed by the Denver Tribune. These dailies were closely tied to power and respect, which is why they were not able to be criticized by outsiders. It wasn't until the 1920s that Rocky Mountain News became a tabloid in Denver. Despite these difficulties, the Rocky Mountain News was the first newspaper to twist its information and expose the corruption of its leaders. The Rocky Mountain News first appeared in 1859 and is the oldest daily newspaper in the state. It began publishing daily editions in 1859. After Scripps Howard purchased the Rocky Mountain News, the company changed the paper's format from broadsheet to tabloid. It is now owned by Scripps Howard and is still in the Denver market. The sale was done to prevent conflicts of interests between two different entities operating in the same marketplace.
The decline of the Denver Post was first reported in a documentary produced by Alden Global Capital, the New York-based hedge fund which owns the paper. Since 2011 the company, which is now known as Digital First Media has been cutting costs by reducing over two-thirds its staff. Some media observers have questioned whether the newspaper is still financially viable. Others believe that the problems are more complicated than the ones that have been outlined. The story of the decline of the Denver Post is not good. The answer lies in its ability to meet the growing demands of its readers. Brechenser's concerns over the paper's decline are reasonable. He believes the business model is sustainable, but it's not certain if people will continue buying print newspapers. He believes that the industry is moving towards digital. He believes that technological advances are responsible for the company's decline, not human error. However, he isn't certain that the plan will be successful. If you are wondering why the newspaper is suffering and why it is, you can read in his book. While the company is battling an extremely difficult financial situation It's not the only one feeling sick. The company has a growing investigative team, recently acquired Deverite, which is a for-profit hyperlocal news website, and hired local reporters in Colorado Springs, Grand Junction and Grand Junction. It also announced that it will be hiring an additional Washington, D.C. correspondent. Doug Dale, CPR CEO explained that the growth was due to the community investment. Dean Baquet believes the most important journalism crisis isn't Donald Trump's attacks on media organizations. It is the decline of local newspapers. He is trying to educate the public about the issues facing the Denver Post and the fact that no one can fix the problems. However, it's unlikely the company's recent financial woes will be over soon. What's the future of local newspapers? When The Denver Post was founded in 1913, it was a daily newspaper. E.W. bought it the following year. Scripps who also owned the Denver Evening Post, which had nearly folded at the close of the year. The Rocky Mountain News's editor Jack Foster convinced Scripps to switch the paper to a tabloid in order to differentiate itself from Denver Post. This strategy allowed the newspaper to expand and was evident in the name, The Denver Post, on January 1, 1901. The circulation of The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News was roughly the same in 1997. The Rocky Mountain News' daily circulation was 227,000. However, the Post's daily circulation was higher than that of the News by a half million copies. The Post, in turn, had 341 thousand readers. In addition to their rivalry The Post and the News were each finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in both the Breaking and Explanatory Reporting categories.
The influence of Burnham Hoyt on the Denver News can be traced back to his architectural designs. His training began at Kidder and Wieger, a Denver architectural firm. He continued his studies at the Beaux Arts Institute of Design and won six design competitions. He also designed Red Rocks State park's amphitheater as well as the state Capitol Annex Building. He passed away in 1960. Denver is proud to be associated with his influence on Denver News. Palmer Hoyt's grandson, Palmer, sued the Denver Post and Boulder Daily Camera for shoddy journalism. He then resigned as head coach of the club's freestyle ski team at the University of Colorado Boulder. The Denver Post did not respond to his request for comment. Although Hoyt's influence over the Denver News is questionable for some time, he's earned a reputation for promoting the liberal agenda in his articles and columns. More authoritative Denver News Sources In the 1930s, Hoyt became a prominent architect in Denver. His work continues to influence the city, from a flourishing arts scene to a thriving business community. His work was influential in the design of many of the city's most famous buildings. In 1955, Hoyt designed the central Denver Public Library in Civic Center. The modernist limestone design of the building is a masterpiece of modernist architecture that closely matches the surrounding area. It is a semicircle bay that is surrounded by glass. Despite the complexities of his career, his influence on the Denver News cannot be underestimated. He launched the editorial section, expanded the newspaper's coverage to international and national issues, and came up with the "Voice of the Rocky Mountain Empire" motto. Palmer Hoyt's early career was as a telephone operator and sports editor at The East Oregonian in Pendleton, Oregon. He joined the Oregonian in 1926 and eventually was promoted to copy editor. He also was a reporter and night city editor and managing editorbefore becoming publisher. Helen Tammen Tammen's wife, as well as May, his daughter, became the primary owners of the Post following his death. The Denver Newspaper Agency was formed in 1983 when the Denver Post and the Denver News merged. Despite these changes, Saturday morning and morning editions of the newspaper are still published. The Denver News is the oldest newspaper. A thriving business requires daily newspaper publication. The circulation of the daily newspaper has increased over the years to reach a crucial mass.