Daytona Beach News-Journal
Encyclopedia
The Daytona Beach News-Journal is a Florida
daily newspaper
serving Volusia
and Flagler
counties.
It grew from the Halifax Journal which was started in 1883. The Davidson family purchased the newspaper in 1928 and retained control until bankruptcy in 2009. In 1986, The Morning Journal and Evening News merged into one morning newspaper. The newspaper began its on-line services in 1994. In circulation, the newspaper is currently among the Top 100 Newspapers in the United States.
The first issue was scheduled for release on Feb. 1, 1883, however, a schooner bringing the blank paper to Florida shipwrecked off the coast of the Carolinas, with the loss of all hands and cargo. This delayed publication of the first issue, until Mann decided to buy a bolt of cotton cloth from Laurence Thompson's dry goods store, to use as a substitute.
The first issue of the Halifax Journal was printed and published on the cotton cloth, dated Feb. 15, 1883. The premier issue contained local news, as well as Mann's editorial of praise and hope for the Halifax area. The Halifax Journal continued as a weekly publication until Editor Mann sold the newspaper in 1889 to J. M. Jolley. In 1908, Jolley died and the newspaper was bought by Galen Seaman. After Seaman's death, the paper was bought by W. C. Carter of the Halifax Printing Company, which operated a printing shop connected with the Halifax Journal.
After selling the Halifax Journal, Florian Mann moved to Ormond and started the Ormond Gazette. He later sold this paper to L. Moreton Murray and returned to Daytona, to start the Daytona News. In 1900, Thomas E. Fitzgerald bought the Daytona News, and in 1903 bought the Ormond Gazette. Fitzgerald consolidated the two papers, and on Dec. 1, 1903, published the first issue of The Daytona Daily News.
Hugh Sparkman started a stock company which bought the Halifax Journal and turned it into a daily publication. In 1926, the stock company bought The Daytona Daily News from Fitzgerald. The stock company ceased publication of The Morning Journal, but continued The Evening News and The Sunday News-Journal.
In 1928, the stock company was bought out by Julius and Herbert M. Davidson, which started a period of control of the publication by a single family, for the next 80 years.
In January 2003, the News-Journal offered to pay $13 million for naming rights to a new performing arts center in Daytona Beach. Cox Enterprises, owners of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution and other publications, filed a lawsuit against the News-Journal in U.S. Federal Court, alleging they "acted irresponsibly in spending corporate funds."
The Davidson family owned 52.5% and Cox Enterprises owned 47.5% of the News-Journal at the time. Cox alleged that Davidson family spent the newspaper's money without consulting with them.
Court documents reveal that in the five year period prior to the filing of Cox’s complaint, at least 58 employees of Davidson's arts and entertainment ventures were, unbeknownst to NJC’s sole minority shareholder, on NJC’s payroll.
Despite the fact that these employees did no work for NJC, NJC provided them with full salaries and benefits, at a cost to the company of at least $5.7 million. In the end, the trial court found that tens of millions of dollars were diverted to Davidson family projects to “indulge [the Davidsons’] personal interests in the arts.”
The News-Journal Corp. decided to buy out the shares of its minority partner and, in 2006, the federal court set a valuation of $129.2 million on Cox's shares of the local newspaper. The newspaper management announced in April 2008 that the newspaper would be sold in order to satisfy the judgment.
On April 17, 2009 the News-Journal announced its intention to declare bankruptcy, but the judge overseeing the case rejected that option. The board of directors was subsequently fired and the company is now under court control, with James Hopson serving as the court-appointed overseer.
On March, 1st 2010 the News Journal was purchased by Halifax Media and is now under the control of CEO Michael Redding.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
daily newspaper
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...
serving Volusia
Volusia County, Florida
Volusia County is a county located in the state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 official county's population was 494,593 . Its county seat is DeLand, and its most populous city is currently Deltona....
and Flagler
Flagler County, Florida
Flagler County was created in 1917 from portions of Saint Johns and Volusia counties. It was named for Henry Morrison Flagler, a famous railroad builder who built the Florida East Coast Railway. Bunnell is the county seat of Flagler County....
counties.
It grew from the Halifax Journal which was started in 1883. The Davidson family purchased the newspaper in 1928 and retained control until bankruptcy in 2009. In 1986, The Morning Journal and Evening News merged into one morning newspaper. The newspaper began its on-line services in 1994. In circulation, the newspaper is currently among the Top 100 Newspapers in the United States.
History
Daytona's early settlers decided that a newspaper would be important for the development of the town. A group of citizens cooperated and put up money to tempt Florian A. Mann to move his printing press from Ohio to Daytona and start a new publication. 86 subscribers were signed up prior to publication of the first issue, all paid in advance. Advertisers also paid in advance, for the first three months.The first issue was scheduled for release on Feb. 1, 1883, however, a schooner bringing the blank paper to Florida shipwrecked off the coast of the Carolinas, with the loss of all hands and cargo. This delayed publication of the first issue, until Mann decided to buy a bolt of cotton cloth from Laurence Thompson's dry goods store, to use as a substitute.
The first issue of the Halifax Journal was printed and published on the cotton cloth, dated Feb. 15, 1883. The premier issue contained local news, as well as Mann's editorial of praise and hope for the Halifax area. The Halifax Journal continued as a weekly publication until Editor Mann sold the newspaper in 1889 to J. M. Jolley. In 1908, Jolley died and the newspaper was bought by Galen Seaman. After Seaman's death, the paper was bought by W. C. Carter of the Halifax Printing Company, which operated a printing shop connected with the Halifax Journal.
After selling the Halifax Journal, Florian Mann moved to Ormond and started the Ormond Gazette. He later sold this paper to L. Moreton Murray and returned to Daytona, to start the Daytona News. In 1900, Thomas E. Fitzgerald bought the Daytona News, and in 1903 bought the Ormond Gazette. Fitzgerald consolidated the two papers, and on Dec. 1, 1903, published the first issue of The Daytona Daily News.
Hugh Sparkman started a stock company which bought the Halifax Journal and turned it into a daily publication. In 1926, the stock company bought The Daytona Daily News from Fitzgerald. The stock company ceased publication of The Morning Journal, but continued The Evening News and The Sunday News-Journal.
In 1928, the stock company was bought out by Julius and Herbert M. Davidson, which started a period of control of the publication by a single family, for the next 80 years.
The News-Journal Center
The Davidson family owned 52.5% and Cox Enterprises owned 47.5% of the News-Journal at the time. Cox alleged that Davidson family spent the newspaper's money without consulting with them.
Court documents reveal that in the five year period prior to the filing of Cox’s complaint, at least 58 employees of Davidson's arts and entertainment ventures were, unbeknownst to NJC’s sole minority shareholder, on NJC’s payroll.
Despite the fact that these employees did no work for NJC, NJC provided them with full salaries and benefits, at a cost to the company of at least $5.7 million. In the end, the trial court found that tens of millions of dollars were diverted to Davidson family projects to “indulge [the Davidsons’] personal interests in the arts.”
The News-Journal Corp. decided to buy out the shares of its minority partner and, in 2006, the federal court set a valuation of $129.2 million on Cox's shares of the local newspaper. The newspaper management announced in April 2008 that the newspaper would be sold in order to satisfy the judgment.
On April 17, 2009 the News-Journal announced its intention to declare bankruptcy, but the judge overseeing the case rejected that option. The board of directors was subsequently fired and the company is now under court control, with James Hopson serving as the court-appointed overseer.
On March, 1st 2010 the News Journal was purchased by Halifax Media and is now under the control of CEO Michael Redding.