The News-Gazette is a daily newspaper serving eleven counties in the eastern portion of Central Illinois and specifically the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area . Since November 2019 it is published daily Tuesday through Sunday. Based in Champaign, Illinois , the paper is owned, along with sister radio stations WDWS , WKIO and WHMS , by Community Media Group, Inc., which purchased it in November 2019 after the paper filed for bankruptcy.
19-690: The paper traces its history to the Urbana Union , founded in 1852. By the turn of the century, it had moved to Champaign and become the Champaign Daily News. In 1919, David W. Stevick, owner and publisher of the Daily News , bought the Champaign Daily Gazette and merged them into the current paper. He died in 1935 and passed it to his widow, Helen M. Stevick. Helen died in 1967 and was succeeded by her daughter, Marajen Stevick Chinigo, who ran
38-536: A day, and receives 3.5 million page views per month. On April 11, 2017, the News-Gazette announced plans to phase out its local printing and packaging operations by mid-summer 2017. The Journal Star in Peoria, Illinois , would provide all printing and packaging services, and the move would eliminate approximately 35 full- and part-time positions. News-Gazette Media filed for bankruptcy on August 30, 2019, and announced
57-669: A nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening investigative journalism. The Herald & Review also founded the Herald & Review 100 , an auto race held annually at Macon Speedway , in Macon, Illinois . The Rev. Alfred F. Wuensch founded the Decatur Review as a weekly newspaper in April 1872. C.N. Walls founded the Daily Herald in 1878. In 1931, the morning Herald , by this time owned by
76-462: A stake in Lee Enterprises (through Berkshire Hathaway Inc. ), buying $ 85 million of the company's debt from Goldman Sachs Group . In June 2012, Berkshire Hathaway filed an amended Form 13F (13F-HR/A) for the period ending March 31, 2012. This document disclosed that Berkshire accumulated $ 2,119,000 or 1,655,125 common shares of Lee Enterprises, or a 3.2 percent stake. The document noted that
95-555: The Midland Daily News , as well as Decatur radio station WSOY . On July 13, 1937, 17 of the paper's editorial employees walked out and went on strike, forcing suspension of the paper, Decatur's only daily newspaper at the time. The newspaper began operating at 601 E. William St. in 1976 and continued until 2022, when headquarters. moved to 225 S. Main St. in the heart of downtown Decatur. In 1979, Lee Enterprises purchased most of
114-843: The News-Gazette and WDWS since 1965. Led by sports editor Matt Daniels, the News-Gazette's sports section in 2021 captured its first Triple Crown — top 10 in daily, Sunday and special sections — in the Associated Press Sports Editors' annual contest. The News-Gazette has consistently been an Illinois Press Association award-winning newspaper for editorial and advertising excellence. The newsroom has been honored with IPA's Mabel S. Shaw Memorial Trophy an unprecedented seven consecutive times under vice president of news Jim Rossow and editor Jeff D'Alessio. Additionally, The News-Gazette has been named one of Editor & Publisher's 10 Newspapers That Do It Right three times in that span in addition to three honorable mentions. Since 2008,
133-576: The News-Gazette' s advertising department has been awarded the Illinois Press Association's Annual James S. Copley Memorial Sweepstakes Award for Daily Newspaper Advertising Excellence 6 times. This is considered to be the top honor available and is awarded for overall excellence in advertising. The newspaper's website is the most viewed commercial website in East Central Illinois. It is viewed by around 30,000–35,000 unique visitors
152-833: The Urbana Daily Courier , then the Evening Courier from 1934 to 1945. It was the Champaign–Urbana Courier for 45 years, from 1946 to 1971. In 1971, the name was changed again to the Courier until 1977, then it was named the Morning Courier from 1978 until its closure. Lindsay-Schaub Newspapers, owner of the Herald and Review papers in Decatur, Illinois , owned the Courier from 1934 until its closure. When Lindsay-Schaub
171-635: The Herald & Review was recognized by Editor & Publisher for digital growth and other initiatives. It also received top honors in the investigative reporting and public service categories in the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors 2017 newspaper contest. The Herald & Review in August 2017 was one of 10 newsrooms chosen from across the country to receive a grant for watchdog training through Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc.,
190-708: The Lindsay family, and the evening, daily, Decatur Daily Review , owned by the Schaub family, merged their operations. Both newspapers continued to publish separately while maintaining largely separate editorial staffs. The Lindsay-Schaub combine acquired other newspapers, including The Southern Illinoisan , the Champaign-Urbana Courier , the Edwardsville Intelligencer , the Metro-East Journal and
209-462: The Lindsay-Schaub papers, including the Herald and Daily Review . The papers were renamed the Herald & Review and continued to publish morning and evening editions. In June 1982, the evening edition was discontinued. The ownership company, Lee Enterprises filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011. It emerged from bankruptcy less than two months later. In April 2012, Warren Buffett took
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#1732898367878228-575: The confidentiality of this transaction was requested but denied by the SEC on May 25, 2012. In April 2013, Lee Enterprises announced that Berkshire Hathaway refinanced the remaining Pulitzer acquisition debt equating to $ 94 million. Lee Enterprises incurred no cost for doing this. The collateral involved was the TNI Partner stake including the Arizona Daily Star and azstarnet.com . The result of this
247-422: The paper printed an edition specifically geared towards Champaign and Urbana that was published in the morning. Due to the decreasing revenue from print advertising, the News-Gazette switched to morning publication only on June 1, 2009. Since 1937, it has been co-owned with the area's oldest commercial radio station, WDWS . An FM sister was added in 1949; it is now WHMS . Another rock station, WUIL (now WKIO ),
266-476: The paper until her death in 2002. In 1979, the paper's longtime rival, the Champaign–Urbana Courier , ceased publication. This left Champaign with only one daily newspaper for the first time. From its founding until June 2009, the News-Gazette published its main edition in the afternoon. The paper was well known in the area as being one of the few afternoon papers left. Beginning in the late 1990s,
285-460: The purchase of the company's assets by Community Media Group, Inc., which owns several community newspapers throughout the country. The sale was finalized on November 10, 2019, at which point the News-Gazette ceased publishing its Monday print edition. The paper relocated to a smaller office building in Champaign in April 2020. Champaign%E2%80%93Urbana Courier The Champaign–Urbana Courier
304-451: Was a reduction in interest from a variable rate of 11.3% to a fixed rate of 9% while at the same time extending the debt maturity date of the debt from December 2015 to April 2017. At the time of the announcement Lee Enterprises noted they had $ 893 million left to pay off. Lee paid off and retired its New Pulitzer notes in June 2015, 6 months before the original maturity date and 22 months before
323-602: Was an American newspaper published from 1877 to 1979, serving Champaign County, Illinois . Founded as the Champaign County Herald in 1877 by S.C. Harris, it was purchased in 1879 by Milton W. Mathews . The paper continued publication after Mathews' death in 1892, but in 1906 merged with the Urbana Courier . It published as the Urbana Courier–Herald from 1906 to 1915. From 1915 to 1934 it published as
342-518: Was purchased in May 2010. The News-Gazette has a circulation ranging from 22,000–30,000 (depending on the day of the week). The News-Gazette is well-known and acclaimed for its sports section. It has consistently ranked among the top sports sections among small markets in the country. Loren Tate , a Champaign sports writer and broadcaster, has been covering the Illinois Fighting Illini for
361-548: Was sold to Lee Enterprises in early 1979, the Courier was not included in the purchase. Attempts to find another buyer failed, and the Courier published its last edition on March 31, 1979. Herald %26 Review The Herald & Review is a daily newspaper based in Decatur, Illinois . It is owned by Lee Enterprises . The Herald & Review was named one of Editor & Publisher's "10 Newspapers That Do It Right" in 2019 for its use of government documents and public records to create substantive journalism. In 2018,
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