COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2711

Newspaper Publishing & Printing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

26companies1865–1991founding years26still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedThe Chronicle Publishing Company, Inc.
1865
FoundedSoutham Inc.
1871
FoundedThe Times Mirror Company
1884
FoundedThe Washington Post Company
1889
FoundedN.V. Holdingmaatschappij De Telegraaf
1893
FoundedSeattle Times Company
1896
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedMcClatchy Newspapers, Inc.
1930
FoundedCentral Newspapers, Inc.
1934
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedGray Communications Systems, Inc.FoundedOttaway Newspapers, Inc.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedJohn Fairfax Holdings Limited
1955
FoundedTatung Co.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMaxwell Communication Corporation plc
1964
FoundedMultimedia, Inc.
1968
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedNews America Publishing Inc.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedWestwood One, Inc.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAxel Springer Verlag AG
1985
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedPrimedia Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Burda Holding GmbH. & Co. →
Active · Germany
Burda Holding GmbH.
The Chronicle Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1865
Publisher of The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chronicle Publishing Company, Inc.
Southam Inc. →
Active · founded 1871 · Canada
Southam Inc.
The Times Mirror Company →
Active · founded 1884
The Times Mirror Company ranks among the top five newspaper companies in the United States.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. →
Active · founded 1889
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
The Washington Post Company →
Active · founded 1889
The Washington Post Company and its subsidiaries are leaders in the news and communications media industry.
N.V. Holdingmaatschappij De Telegraaf →
Active · founded 1893 · The Netherlands
N.V.
Seattle Times Company →
Active · founded 1896
Owner and operator of one of the last independent and locally owned metropolitan newspapers in the United States, the…
The Copley Press, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Owned and operated by the namesake Copley family, The Copley Press, Inc.
McClatchy Newspapers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
McClatchy Newspapers, Inc.
Central Newspapers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1934
Central Newspapers, Inc.
Cowles Media Company →
Active · founded 1935
Until the late 1990s, Cowles Media Company stood as one of the nation's leading independent newspaper publishers.
Gray Communications Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Established in 1946 by James H.
Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Ottaway Newspapers, Inc.
John Fairfax Holdings Limited →
Active · founded 1955 · Australia
John Fairfax Holdings Limited is the holding company for an Australian publishing enterprise established more than 150…
Hachette Filipacchi Medias S.A. →
Active · founded 1957 · France
The June 1997 fusion of Filipacchi Medias S.A.
Tatung Co. →
Active · founded 1957 · Taiwan
With ten domestic plants and nearly 20,000 employees, Tatung Co.
Maxwell Communication Corporation plc →
Active · founded 1964 · United Kingdom
Maxwell Communication Corporation plc (MCC) was formerly one of the world's ten largest media groups, with interests in…
VNU N.V. →
Active · founded 1964 · The Netherlands
The Netherlands' publishing group VNU N.V.
Multimedia, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
One of the most profitable media communications companies in the United States, Multimedia, Inc.
News America Publishing Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
News America Publishing Inc.
Westwood One, Inc. →
Active · founded 1975
The second largest producer and distributor of radio programs in the United States, Westwood One, Inc.
Affiliated Publications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978 · United States
Affiliated Publications, Inc., is the owner and operator of The Boston Globe, the principal newspaper of the Boston…
Axel Springer Verlag AG →
Active · founded 1985 · Germany
Over the course of its more than 50 years in business, Axel Springer Verlag AG has evolved from a publisher of local…
Primedia Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Primedia Inc.
Orkla A/S →
Active · founded 1991 · Norway
Orkla A/S is the largest branded consumer goods group and food and beverage producer in Scandinavia and one of the five…
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