The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area.
The paper is supported entirely by advertising revenue and is free to readers. The newspaper reports a monthly readership of more than 200,000 print readers and 1.6 million online users. Prior to the 2017 cessation of the print edition, the Press was found in restaurants, coffee houses, and local retail stores. New weekly editions were distributed on Thursdays.
It was one of the first alternative weekly newspapers in the United States to establish a website.
Video Houston Press
History
The weekly Houston Press was founded in 1989. Chris Hearne (founder of Austin's Third Coast Magazine) and Kirk Cypel (a Vice President of a Houston-based investment group) conceived of this news and entertainment weekly after rejecting a business plan to relaunch Texas Business Magazine. Hearne was the paper's first publisher and Cypel served as the organization's business advisor. Although the paper faced early challenges, the landscape changed when Hearne and Cypel engineered a buyout of 713 Magazine, a key competitor. Once in control of 713, they stopped its publication and converted advertisers to the Houston Press. Thereafter, the Houston Press's advertising and circulation grew dramatically.
For the newspaper's first five years, Niel Morgan served as the investor. It was bought out by New Times Media in 1993.
In 1998 it acquired the assets of an alternative paper, Public News, that was ceasing operations. Employees of Public News' sales department began working for the Houston Press.
In 2005, New Times acquired Village Voice Media, and changed its name to Village Voice Media. In September 2012, Village Voice Media executives Scott Tobias, Christine Brennan and Jeff Mars bought Village Voice Media's papers and associated web properties from its founders and formed Voice Media Group.
On November 3, 2017, Voice Media Group announced that it would cease printing of the Press, moving to online-only publication, and the paper will only use freelance journalists. Voice Media Group cited Hurricane Harvey as the final factor behind the cessation, and editor Margaret Downing stated that a recession in the oil industry and the decline of revenue from advertising contributed to the decision. The majority of the Press employees, including nine full-time employees, lost their jobs.
Maps Houston Press
Headquarters
The headquarters of the Houston Press are located in Midtown Houston on LaBranch Street.
Prior to 1998, the Houston Press was located in Suite 1900 of the 2000 West Loop South building in Uptown Houston, off of the 610 Loop West Loop. In 1998, it moved to a new location in Downtown Houston, which became the Houston Press building and was originally built in 1927. That building is in close proximity to the ExxonMobil Building.
Shelor Motor Company was the building's first occupant and used it as an automobile showroom. Beginning in the 1960s, the facility served as the Gillman Pontiac dealership building. In 1994 Suzanne Sellers painted a 50-foot (15 m) by 240-foot (73 m) trompe-l'oeil mural that is located around two of the building's sides. This mural is visible from Leeland, Milam, and Travis streets. In 2008 the Houston Press building received damage from Hurricane Ike since the hurricane caused water to go through the parking area on the building's roof into the offices. In 2010 the Houston Press installed new energy efficient windows in place of the original glass windows on the facility's second and third floors. On the weekend after Friday October 25, 2013 the Houston Press was scheduled to move to its new offices in Midtown.
Awards from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
2007
- First Place, Feature Story; Third Place, Investigative Reporting Todd Spivak
- First Place, Music Criticism; Second Place, Arts Feature John Nova Lomax
- Second Place, News Story/Long Form, Craig Malisow
2005
- Honorable Mention, Column above 50,000: "Downing" by Margaret Downing
- 3rd Place, Education: Above 50,000: "HCCS's Gift Basket Bonanza" by Josh Harkinson
- 2nd Place, Food Writing: Above 50,000: "The Cow Says Oink" by Robb Walsh
- 3rd Place, News Story (1500 words or less): "Firing Line" by Josh Harkinson
2004
- 2nd Place, Column-Political: Above 50,000: Tim Fleck
- 1st Place, Food Writing: Above 50,000: Robb Walsh
- 3rd Place, Religion Reporting: Above 50,000: "Doing Time" by Scott Nowell
2003
- 1st Place, Media Reporting: Above 50,000: "Reality TV Bites" by Jennifer Mathieu
2001
- 2nd Place, Investigative Reporting: Above 54,000: "Paying the Price" by Bob Burtman
2000
- 1st Place, Column: Above 54,000: Margaret Downing
- 1st Place, Corrections Reporting: Above 54,000: "Trouble in Mind" by Steve McVicker
1999
- 1st Place, Online
1998
- 1st Place, Investigative Reporting: Above 54,000: "Easy Street" by Bob Burtman
- 1st Place, Web Site: "Webb Page Confidential"
Other recent awards of note include Todd Spivak's 2006 first place win in the Investigative Reporters and Editors Association under 100,000 circulation weekly category, and Rich Connelly's first place in the humor category of the under 100,000 circulation bracket of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
See also
- List of newspapers in Houston
References
External links
- Houston Press
- Houston Press, Best of Houston issue
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments