The Macon news. (Macon, Ga.) 189?-1930

 

Title:

The Macon news.

Place of Publication:

Macon, Ga.

Geographic coverage:

  • Macon, Bibb county

Publisher:

News Pub. Co.

Dates of publication:

189?-1930

Description:

  • -July 24, 1930.

Frequency:

Daily

Languages:

  • English

Subjects:

  • Bibb County (Ga.)--Newspapers.
  • Georgia--Bibb County.--fast--(OCoLC)fst01207988
  • Georgia--Macon.--fast--(OCoLC)fst01206924
  • Macon (Ga.)--Newspapers.

Notes:

  • "Independent."
  • Available on microfilm from University of Georgia Libraries and Micro Photo, Inc.
  • Description based on: Jan. 1, 1898.
  • Gregory, W. Amer. newspapers, 1821-1936

LCCN:

sn82015433

OCLC:

8808946

The Macon news. January 1, 1898

About

Under the firm name J. B. Pound & Bro., the Macon Evening News’ inaugural issue published on January 1, 1884 in Macon, Georgia. The firm initially consisted of two partners, Jerome B. Pound, and his brother Eugene. They circulated the newspaper every evening, except Sundays, at a subscription cost of five dollars. Macon’s leading daily newspaper at the time was long-established Macon Telegraph, and the Evening News’ evening publishing cycle did not conflict with the Telegraph’s morning circulation; The News’ subscription fee, however, was half that of the Telegraph’s. In December 1885, the News’ success resulted in an enlarged sheet size and new type; the company also grew by a member when E. T. Byington, formerly Macon correspondent for the Atlanta Constitution, bought shares of the paper. Byington also assumed editorial control of the Macon News, as Jerome Pound became focused on pursuing business matters in Milledgeville. In 1886, now with Colonel Kit J. Warren as its editor-in-chief, the Macon News supported Macon native Augustus Octavious Bacon’s unsuccessful bid for governor. Warren sold his half of the News to Julien Rodgers in October 1887 and retired from newspaper work. To thank him for his work in journalism, Pound and Rodgers presented Warren with a gold-encrusted cane after his official retirement on November 1. The new ownership arrangement lasted for only a few months, as former Telegraph staffers A. R. Lamar and H. S. Edwards bought the News in February 1888 and consolidated it with the Macon Sunday Times. J. B. Pound went on to establish several businesses in Tennessee, including a daily newspaper in Chattanooga. After the newspaper consolidation, the title remained the Evening News, but it was now managed under a stock company called the News Publishing Company. Although the News favored the Democratic Party, Lamar, managing editor, heavily criticized Alfred H. Colquitt during his 1888 re-election campaign, which prompted the Americus Weekly Recorder of April 12, 1888 to question if ‘the Macon Evening News was a Democratic or Republican Paper.’ Lamar and Edwards drew further ire from surrounding Georgia newspapers by disparaging President Grover Cleveland. This tension came to a head in June 1888, when a disgruntled printer placed ‘Leading Republican Paper of Georgia’ in the editorial box of the Macon Evening News; the News Publishing Company issued an apology shortly after and assured readers Lamar was 'a born son of the South.' Nevertheless, in February 1889, the Macon Evening News Publishing Company reorganized with Col. E. C. Machen as president and W. F. C. Fellers as business manager. The new company leadership forced Lamar’s resignation and replaced him with John T. Boifeuillet; the paper’s editorial tone then more closely aligned with conservative Bourbon Democrats and advocated for President Grover Cleveland.

By 1890, evening daily newspapers were gaining in popularity, and the Evening News was fast approaching the Telegraph’s circulation rates. In May 1890, the News moved into a three-story building on Cherry Street, for which they paid $20,000. The paper’s success continued in June 1891 when Boifeuillet, now also serving Bibb County as a Democratic State Representative, expanded the paper to eight pages. Boifeuillet resigned as editor later in 1891, and several editors filled the editorial department until Thomas W. Loyless took over during another company reorganization in September 1894; Hal Moore, the managing editor stepped down, and the editorial department consisted of R. L. McKenney, Fred T. Loftin, and Thomas W. Loyless. During this reorganization, the paper’s title was slightly altered to the Macon News. R. L. McKenney served as editor-in-chief for the News into the 1920s. In 1930, William Thomas Anderson, owner of the Macon Telegraph bought out the Macon News and brought the paper under the management of his stock company. Until 1983, with the exception of a consolidated Sunday edition, the Macon News and Macon Telegraph published separate daily editions. The newspapers finally became a single title in 1983 as the Macon Telegraph and News, which eventually returned to the Macon Telegraph in 1990. The Macon Telegraph continues to serve daily as Bibb County’s legal organ.