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Evening Express (Portland, Maine)
Encyclopedia
The Evening Express was a daily evening broadsheet
-format newspaper published in Portland, Maine
, United States. It was owned by Guy Gannett Publishing Co.
from 1925 until 1991. As of February 1991, the Monday-Saturday circulation was 22,700.
The Express's final issue appeared on February 1, 1991. The paper's demise left Portland as a one-newspaper town with the Portland Press Herald
, a morning paper also owned by Guy Gannett. It remained so until the February 2009 launch of the Portland Daily Sun
.
. Dow oversaw numerous technical improvements to the paper and initiated an expansion that included the purchase of competing newspaper The Daily Advertiser in 1910. Dow also purchased the city's Sunday newspaper, the Maine Sunday Telegram, which is still published to this day. Dow sold the Evening Express and Maine Sunday Telegram to Guy P. Gannett in 1925.
, which Guy Gannett also owned. The final issue of the Evening Express appeared Friday, February 1, 1991 with the headline "Goodbye," ending its 108-year run.
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
-format newspaper published in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, United States. It was owned by Guy Gannett Publishing Co.
Guy Gannett Communications
Guy Gannett Communications -- no relation to the larger Gannett communications chain -- was a family-owned business consisting of newspapers in Maine and a handful of television stations in the eastern United States. The company was founded by its namesake, Guy P...
from 1925 until 1991. As of February 1991, the Monday-Saturday circulation was 22,700.
The Express's final issue appeared on February 1, 1991. The paper's demise left Portland as a one-newspaper town with the Portland Press Herald
Portland Press Herald
The Portland Press Herald publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine, USA...
, a morning paper also owned by Guy Gannett. It remained so until the February 2009 launch of the Portland Daily Sun
Portland Daily Sun
The Portland Daily Sun publish daily newspapers Tuesday through Saturday in Portland, Maine. The Portland Daily Sun is a free daily newspaper distributed to retail and business locations throughout the city. The first edition was printed on February 3, 2009. Circulation, which started at 3,000...
.
First issue
The Evening Express's first issue was printed on Thursday October 12, 1882 by Arthur Laughlin, who was 28 years old at the time. In the first issue, Laughlin proclaimed; "With this, the first number of the Portland Evening Express, we present to the public a new penny daily evening paper, whose aim will be to give all the local news of the day up to 3 o'clock P.M." By 1889, the Express boasted the highest daily circulation in the city.Col. Frederick Neal Dow
In 1887, the Express was taken over by Col. Frederick Neal Dow, son of Portland Mayor Gen. Neal S. DowNeal S. Dow
Neal S. Dow , nicknamed the "Napoleon of Temperance" and the "Father of Prohibition", was mayor of Portland, Maine. He sponsored the "Maine law of 1851", which prohibited the manufacture and sale of liquor...
. Dow oversaw numerous technical improvements to the paper and initiated an expansion that included the purchase of competing newspaper The Daily Advertiser in 1910. Dow also purchased the city's Sunday newspaper, the Maine Sunday Telegram, which is still published to this day. Dow sold the Evening Express and Maine Sunday Telegram to Guy P. Gannett in 1925.
The end
In fall 1990, Guy Gannett Publishing Co., under the leadership of heiress Jean Gannett Hawley, announced it would be ceasing publication of the Evening Express the following February, citing the nationwide circulation decline of evening newspapers and its desire to merge the Express newsroom with that of the morning Portland Press HeraldPortland Press Herald
The Portland Press Herald publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine, USA...
, which Guy Gannett also owned. The final issue of the Evening Express appeared Friday, February 1, 1991 with the headline "Goodbye," ending its 108-year run.
See also
- Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970The Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 was an Act of the United States Congress, signed by President Richard Nixon, authorizing the formation of joint operating agreements among competing newspaper operations within the same market area. It exempted newspapers from certain provisions of antitrust...
- List of defunct newspapers of the United States
- Guy Gannett Publishing Co.Guy Gannett CommunicationsGuy Gannett Communications -- no relation to the larger Gannett communications chain -- was a family-owned business consisting of newspapers in Maine and a handful of television stations in the eastern United States. The company was founded by its namesake, Guy P...
- Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday TelegramPortland Press HeraldThe Portland Press Herald publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine, USA...