Commercial Dispatch
Encyclopedia
The Commercial Dispatch is the daily newspaper
of Columbus
, Mississippi
, United States
. It was created from the merger of two older papers, the Commercial and the Dispatch, in the early 20th century. The first issue of the consolidated newspaper was published on March 12, 1922. The Dispatch is published six days a week (no edition is produced on Monday) at the company's headquarters on a Goss Urbanite press
. The paper is a longtime family-owned business
and community mainstay. The current editor and publisher is Birney Imes III.
. The paper was a bi-weekly publication.
Upon Imes's death on June 18, 1947 at the age of 58, his son, Vinton Birney Imes Jr. took over as editor and publisher. Birney Imes Jr. carried on as editor and publisher for nearly 50 years. Birney Imes III assumed the leadership of The Dispatch in 1996 after the retirement of his father.
On June 8, 2009 The Commercial Dispatch began publishing The Starkville Dispatch, a daily edition of The Commercial Dispatch that focuses on Starkville
, Mississippi. Both papers share the bulk of their content, including all advertising, but the local news pages in The Starkville Dispatch tend to focus on Starkville-specific content.
Starkville Daily News is the only other daily paper in Starkville, Mississippi.
The paper has no local competition in the daily market, but does compete with a local weekly, the Columbus Packet
. Subscriptions are currently about $12 per month. Rack papers sell for $0.50 Tuesday through Saturday and $1.25 on Sunday.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
of Columbus
Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States that lies above the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was created from the merger of two older papers, the Commercial and the Dispatch, in the early 20th century. The first issue of the consolidated newspaper was published on March 12, 1922. The Dispatch is published six days a week (no edition is produced on Monday) at the company's headquarters on a Goss Urbanite press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
. The paper is a longtime family-owned business
Family business
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being....
and community mainstay. The current editor and publisher is Birney Imes III.
Consolidation
Vinton Birney Imes Sr. first went to work for Percy W. Maer at The Columbus Dispatch in 1910. Following Maer's death, Imes left The Columbus Dispatch and bought The Columbus Commercial. The following year Imes, local attorney John Frierson and local dentist Dr. D.D. Griffin formed a partnership and purchased The Columbus Commercial from Maer's widow. Imes merged the two papers in 1922. A subscription was $3 per year for home delivery and $2 for delivery by mailMail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
. The paper was a bi-weekly publication.
Post consolidation
In 1925 Imes moved the newspaper to its present location at 516 Main Street. The Commercial Dispatch became a daily paper in 1926.Upon Imes's death on June 18, 1947 at the age of 58, his son, Vinton Birney Imes Jr. took over as editor and publisher. Birney Imes Jr. carried on as editor and publisher for nearly 50 years. Birney Imes III assumed the leadership of The Dispatch in 1996 after the retirement of his father.
On June 8, 2009 The Commercial Dispatch began publishing The Starkville Dispatch, a daily edition of The Commercial Dispatch that focuses on Starkville
Starkville, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,869 people, 9,462 households, and 4,721 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.4 people per square mile . There were 10,191 housing units at an average density of 396.7 per square mile...
, Mississippi. Both papers share the bulk of their content, including all advertising, but the local news pages in The Starkville Dispatch tend to focus on Starkville-specific content.
Starkville Daily News is the only other daily paper in Starkville, Mississippi.
Circulation
In addition to the daily paper, The Dispatch maintains an online presence at cdispatch.com and publishes the quarterly magazine, Catfish Alley.The paper has no local competition in the daily market, but does compete with a local weekly, the Columbus Packet
Columbus Packet
The Columbus Packet, also known as The Packet, is a weekly newspaper published in Columbus, Mississippi . It was founded in 1991 by editor and publisher, Roger Larsen. Starting in July 2010 Colin Krieger took over the position as editor and publisher of The Columbus Packet with Roger Larsen...
. Subscriptions are currently about $12 per month. Rack papers sell for $0.50 Tuesday through Saturday and $1.25 on Sunday.
Current management
- Editor/Publisher: Birney Imes III
- Operations Manager: Peter Imes
- Managing Editor: Garthia Burnett
- Circulation Manager: Michael Floyd
- Advertising Manager: Beth Proffitt
- Production Manager: Perry Griggs
- Human Resources/Accounting: Terri Collums
- Mailroom Supervisor: Vernon Hedgeman