Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette history

After two years in the humid, mosquito-infested village, Woodruff moved his Gazette to Little Rock in 1821, following the relocation of the territorial capital there.

Starting in 1836, the Gazette went through a series of changes leading to co-partnerships and three sales to other owners.

First called The Liberal, then The Journal, then The Chronicle, and finally The Evening Star, the newspaper had passed through several hands and several editors by 1875.

In September 1878, former Arkansas Gazette editor James Mitchell and his partner Gen.

In 1902, the Heiskell family purchased The Gazette, modernized the presses and started printing news seven days a week.

The architecturally notable Gazette building at Third and Louisiana had also been erected during Heiskell's tenure as editor, being dedicated in 1908.

Clyde Palmer's daughter Betty was born two years after they moved to Texarkana, in 1911.

By 1912, Palmer had changed the name of the newspaper to the Four States Press.

When Davis died suddenly in 1913, Heiskell, in a sweet bit of irony, was appointed by Gov.

In 1930 he acquired the YMCA building at Capitol Avenue and Scott Street and turned it into a modern newspaper plant.

Betty Palmer and Walter Hussman were married in 1931, and after selling insurance for a while, Walter went to work for his father-in-law in the newspaper business.

In 1933, Palmer put the first radio station on the air in Texarkana.

In 1942, he established the first automatic teletypesetter (TTS) circuits, connecting a group of newspapers.

Hugh B. Patterson, J.N. Heiskell's son-in-law, who had been the Gazette's business manager, became publisher in 1948.

After returning from the war, Walter was determined to own his own newspaper and acquired an option to buy the newspaper in Midland, Texas, in 1949.

In 1952, there was not a station in Texarkana.

In 1957, when race relations and the issue of desegregation reached a climax, Gazette executive editor Harry Ashmore took a risky editorial position with a front-page piece.

In 1958, the paper won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, and Ashmore won the Pulitzer for Distinguished Editorial Writing.

In the first quarter of 1960, the Democrat's daily circulation was 88,890, narrowly ahead of the Gazette's 88,152.

In 1963, Walter Sr. launched the first terrestrial microwave high-speed, high-definition facsimile network interconnecting a group of newspapers.

Through a reorganization in 1968, the Camden News ended up giving stock to shareholders and they turned in their stock in Texarkana, Hot Springs and El Dorado.

[…] May 1970, the Arkansas Gazette (now the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) reported that Big Arkie was refusing food and that his health was deteriorating.

A few months before Heiskell's death in 1972, the Gazette opened a new production building at Fourth and Byrd streets in Little Rock.

In 1973, Walter Hussman Sr. came up with WEHCO "W-E-H-C-O" for Walter E. Hussman Company WEHCO Media.

When Walter Hussman purchased the Democrat in 1974, he again worked to increase circulation.

In late 1978, the Democrat began an extensive effort to expand its news and classified advertising in order to become the state's largest newspaper.

Circulation totals showed that the Democrat was the fastest growing newspaper in the United States during 1980.

Across town at the Arkansas Gazette, 1981 saw big changes too.

First, the Gazette filed a federal antitrust suit against the Democrat in 1984.

On June 23, 1992, less than a year after the long newspaper war ended, John Robert Starr retired as managing editor of the Democrat-Gazette and Griffin Smith, jr., was named executive editor.

* Interview with Walter Hussman, Jr. by Roy Reed, June 30, 2004

In June 2006, WEHCO Video Inc. launched Cablelynx™ Digital Phone, an IP-enabled voice service which allows customers to make phone calls over the cable television provider’s network.

WEHCO Media, Inc. purchased three Missouri newspapers on May 1st, 2008.

In July 2012, WEHCO Media introduced the company's newest division, WEHCO Digital Services, Inc.

After serving as WEHCO Media President for over two years, Nat Lea was named WEHCO Media Chief Executive Officer in May 2016.