The Madison Times
| Founder(s) | Betty Franklin-Hammonds |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 1991 |
| City | Madison, Wisconsin |
| Readership | Minorities in Dane County |
| Website | https://themadisontimes.themadent.com/ |
The Madison Times is a weekly African-American newspaper in Madison in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Civil rights activist Betty Franklin-Hammonds established the paper in April 1991. It was initially a sister publication of the Milwaukee Times, which had bought the Wisconsin Free Press, a Black-focused paper that published sporadically in Madison in the 1980s.[1] Hammonds stated that the paper operated separately within its first few months. Hammonds started the paper as a resource for the under-served African-American community;[1] the paper soon expanded its focus to various minority communities.[2] In 1992 the paper joined with WORT radio, WYOU community television, and the online service DANEnet to create the Neighborhood Network, to cover local news and serve local activists.[3]
Following Hammonds' death at age 56 in 1999,[4] her husband David became publisher, and remained majority owner. Jonathan Gramling, a "longtime friend and associate" of the Franklin-Hammonds family, took over as editor. Under Gramling's direction, the paper added more full color photography, and increased its event coverage. In 2002, amid a nationwide industry slump, the paper experienced financial challenges, prompting staffing cuts. David described the newspaper as a community-oriented enterprise, rather than a financial investment.[2] The paper's circulation was about 8,500 in 2004.[5]
Local politician and bureaucrat Ray Allen purchased the paper in 2005.[6] Though Allen stated at the time that he did not plan significant personnel changes, Gramling, who had recently won a human rights award, announced his intention to leave the paper shortly after the acquisition.[7][8]
Allen sold it to Courier Communications, the parent company of the Milwaukee Courier and WNOV-AM radio, in 2014.[9] The two newspapers had been sharing editorial and advertising content for about a year prior to the sale; at the time of the acquisition, the two papers had a combined circulation of 55,000.[10][11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b LiCari, Jonnel (June 15, 1992). "TIMES PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON BLACKS". Wisconsin State Journal.
- ^ a b Welch, Lynn (March 7, 2002). "CHANGING TIMES - CITY'S MINORITY NEWSPAPER TACKLES NEW CHALLENGES". The Capital Times.
- ^ Perry-Daniels, Gail (September 24, 1996). "NEIGHBORHOODS TO HAVE THEIR OWN NEWS NETWORK". The Capital Times.
- ^ Clark, Anita (May 15, 1999). "PUBLISHER'S LIFE, GOOD WORKS BRING MORE ACCOLADES". Wisconsin State Journal.
- ^ African American Yearbook 2004
- ^ Novak, Bill (August 3, 2005). "RAY ALLEN IS NEW OWNER OF MADISON TIMES". The Capital Times.
- ^ Schneider, Pat (July 22, 2005). "EDITOR GETS HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD". The Capital Times.
- ^ Davidoff, Judith (September 2, 2005). "GRAMLING LIKELY TO LEAVE TIMES". The Capital Times.
- ^ RIVEDAL, KAREN (December 9, 2014). "COURIER COMMUNICATIONS BUYS MADISON TIMES". Wisconsin State Journal.
- ^ IVEY, MIKE (December 7, 2014). "Madison Times newspaper sold to Milwaukee's Courier Communications". The Capital Times.
- ^ "The Milwaukee Courier forms joint venture with The Madison Times - Deal In Brief". Datamonitor Financial Deals Tracker. October 30, 2013.