KENNEBEC JOURNAL

The '''Kennebec Journal''' is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Augusta, Maine, USA. Since 1998, it has been owned by Blethen Maine Newspapers, a subsidiary of The Seattle Times Company.

Contents

History

References

External links

History

Founded in 1825 by Russell Eaton and Luther Severance, the ''Kennebec Journal'' is the oldest newspaper in the state of Maine. Although the newspaper is based in Augusta, Eaton and Severance foresaw a wider circulation and gave it a regional name.^[2]
James G. Blaine was publisher of the ''Journal'' from 1854 to 1857. He later served as one of Maine's U.S. Senators and, in 1888, became the only Mainer ever nominated for U.S. president by a major party.
In 1929, the paper was purchased by Guy Gannett, a Maine publisher who already owned the ''Portland Press Herald'' and ''Waterville Sentinel''. ^[3]
Gannett and his heirs -- no relation to the Virginia-based chain called Gannett Company -- held the three Maine dailies until 1998, when they sold them to The Seattle Times Company, which rechristened the chain "Blethen Maine Newspapers." Frank Blethen, a descendant of ''Seattle Times'' founder Albert Blethen, a Maine native, later called the purchase "the largest and riskiest investment in our history" but a necessary move to keep the newspapers from becoming part of a corporate chain.^[4]

References

1. Gill, Kathy. "Presidential Race - Editorial Endorsements". November 1, 2004. Accessed May 27, 2007.
2. CentralMaine.com: About, accessed May 27, 2007.
3. "History of the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram". Accessed May 27, 2007.
4. Christie, John. "In the Newspaper Business, Who Owns the Place Makes All the Difference in the World". ''Kennebec Journal'' (Augusta, Maine). August 13, 2006.

External links

★ ''Kennebec Journal'' website

★ The Seattle Times Company website