Pine Bluff Commercial
| First in Southern Arkansas | |
 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | WEHCO Media |
| Founder(s) | Freeman Family |
| Editor-in-chief | Byron Tate |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Language | English |
| City | Pine Bluff, Arkansas |
| Country | United States |
| Website | https://www.pbcommercial.com |
The Pine Bluff Commercial is a newspaper that serves Southern Arkansas and was founded in 1897 as the Pine Bluff Daily Commercial. It was renamed to its current name in 1912.[1] In 1969, the paper won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing on civil rights.
History
[edit]The paper began as a family owned paper, by the Freeman family,[2] until 1987, when it was sold to Donrey Media Group.[3] The paper had been an afternoon paper from its inception until 1992, when it became a morning paper. Before that transition, weekend papers were still delivered in the morning.[2] In 2020, WEHCO Media acquired the paper from Gannett.[4] The paper had joined Gannett after Gannett acquired GateHouse in 2019.[5] The paper was part of GateHouse after a line of acquisitions, wherein Donrey became Stephens Media Group in 2002 – after having been acquired by Stephens Media in 1993.[6] In 2015, Stephens was acquired by New Media Investment Group,[7] which itself was the parent company of GateHouse until New Media merged GateHouse into Gannett in 2019.[8]
Pulitzer Prize
[edit]In 1969, the newspaper was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for editorial journalist, Paul Greenberg. The prize is "[f]or his editorials during 1968."[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Pine Bluff Commercial (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1912-Current". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ a b Taylor, Tim (3 August 1992). "Newspaper News: Pine Bluff Commercial Movesto the Morning This Week". Arkansas Business. Vol. 9, no. 31. Little Rock, Ark. p. 22. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ "The Pine Bluff Commercial was sold". Los Angeles Times. 25 December 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ Massey, Kyle (7–13 September 2020). "Wehco Acquires Pine Bluff Commercial, Will Include It in Digital Replica Edition". Arkansas Business. Vol. 37, no. 36. Little Rock, Ark. p. 5. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ Massey, Kyle (2–8 December 2019). "Celebrating 200 years of necessary journalism". Arkansas Business. Vol. 36, no. 48. Little Rock, Ark. p. 20. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Mark (21 January 2002). "Stephens Media, nee Donrey". Editor & Publisher. Vol. 135, no. 3. Lutz. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ Gatling, Paul (19 February 2015). "Stephens Media LLC Sold For $102.5 Million". Talk Business & Politics. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ "GateHouse, Gannett join, become largest US newspaper chain". AP News. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ "Paul Greenberg of Pine Bluff (Arkansas) Commercial – The Pulitzer Prizes". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 17 June 2025.