Quad-City Times
Encyclopedia
The Quad-City Times is a daily morning newspaper
based in Davenport, Iowa
, and circulated throughout the Quad Cities
metropolitan area (Davenport
, Bettendorf
and Scott County
in Iowa; and Moline
, East Moline
, Rock Island
and Rock Island County
in Illinois).
As it is a regional newspaper, the Quad-City Times is also circulated and has readership in Cedar
, Clinton
, Jackson
, Louisa
and Muscatine
counties in Iowa; and Carroll, Henry
, Mercer
and Whiteside counties in Illinois.
According to the Iowa Newspaper Association, the Quad-City Times has a circulation of 61,366.http://www.inanews.com/apps/displaypapers.php?mod=About&action=City The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises
, which is also located in Davenport
.
The Democratic Banner was founded in 1848, was sold in 1855 to a group of businessmen and rechristened the Iowa State Democrat. The Iowa State Democrat published its first edition on October 15 of that year, with E.T. Eagel its first publisher. The newspaper underwent many changes through its early history, and by 1899, its circulation was 1,300 daily and 2,500 weekly. The newspaper was eventually sold to Lee Enterprises
in 1915. The newspaper eventually became known as the Davenport Democrat & Leader.
The Blue Ribbon News began publication in 1878; by 1886, it was known as the Davenport Daily Times. The newspaper, which struggled for many years, was sold in 1899 to A.W. Lee (founder of Lee Enterprises
) for $120,000.
Both newspapers continued to grow in circulation, before combining operations in 1964. The formerly separate newspapers became known as the Times-Democrat. By 1974, with circulation expanding throughout eastern Iowa and western Illinois, the newspaper was given its current name.
In December 1989, the Quad-City Times moved into its current building at 500 E. Third St., Davenport. The facility, completed at a cost of $23.8 million, includes a five-story press room, mail room, warehouse and editorial offices. The facility also houses Trico, the newspaper's commercial printing business.
The Quad-City Times has been on the leading edge of technology, becoming the first all-electronic newspaper in 1973. Electronic pagination began in 1988, with all-digital photography taking root by 1994.
Current Quad-City Times columnists include Don Doxsie, Alma Gaul, Barb Ickes, Steve Martens, Kay Luna, John Willard and Bill Wundram. The current editor is Jan Touney. Julie Bechtel is the publisher of the Quad-City Times.
bureau
, and Illinois political news from its Springfield
bureau.
Previously, the Quad-City Times published two additional editions, which have since been discontinued:
The "Quad-City Times" is also available on the Amazon Kindle book reader; however without ads, classifieds and most photos and tables.
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...
based in Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, and circulated throughout the Quad Cities
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...
metropolitan area (Davenport
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, Bettendorf
Bettendorf, Iowa
Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Bettendorf is the fifteenth largest city in the U.S. state of Iowa and the fourth largest city in the "Quad Cities". As of the 2010 United States Census the population grew to 33,217. Bettendorf is one of the Quad Cities, along with...
and Scott County
Scott County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 165,224 in the county, with a population density of . There were 71,835 housing units, of which 66,765 were occupied.-2000 census:...
in Iowa; and Moline
Moline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
, East Moline
East Moline, Illinois
East Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,333 at the 2000 census. East Moline is one of the five Quad Cities,, along with the cities of Rock Island, Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities has a population of 379,690...
, Rock Island
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
and Rock Island County
Rock Island County, Illinois
Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 147,546, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 149,374 in 2000. Its county seat is Rock Island...
in Illinois).
As it is a regional newspaper, the Quad-City Times is also circulated and has readership in Cedar
Cedar County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 13,956 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,064 housing units, of which 7,511 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Clinton
Clinton County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 49,116 in the county, with a population density of . There were 21,733 housing units, of which 20,223 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Jackson
Jackson County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 19,848 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,415 housing units, of which 8,289 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Louisa
Louisa County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 11,387 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,002 housing units, of which 4,346 were occupied.-2000 census:...
and Muscatine
Muscatine County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 42,745 in the county, with a population density of . There were 17,910 housing units, of which 16,412 were occupied.-2000 census:...
counties in Iowa; and Carroll, Henry
Henry County, Illinois
Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 50,486, which is a decrease of 1.0% from 51,020 in 2000. Its county seat is Cambridge...
, Mercer
Mercer County, Illinois
Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,434, which is a decrease of 3.1% from 16,957 in 2000. Its county seat is Aledo...
and Whiteside counties in Illinois.
According to the Iowa Newspaper Association, the Quad-City Times has a circulation of 61,366.http://www.inanews.com/apps/displaypapers.php?mod=About&action=City The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 54 daily newspapers in 23 states, and more than 300 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by A.W. Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa....
, which is also located in Davenport
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
.
History
The Quad-City Times grew from several predecessors, including the Democratic Banner and Blue Ribbon News.The Democratic Banner was founded in 1848, was sold in 1855 to a group of businessmen and rechristened the Iowa State Democrat. The Iowa State Democrat published its first edition on October 15 of that year, with E.T. Eagel its first publisher. The newspaper underwent many changes through its early history, and by 1899, its circulation was 1,300 daily and 2,500 weekly. The newspaper was eventually sold to Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 54 daily newspapers in 23 states, and more than 300 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by A.W. Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa....
in 1915. The newspaper eventually became known as the Davenport Democrat & Leader.
The Blue Ribbon News began publication in 1878; by 1886, it was known as the Davenport Daily Times. The newspaper, which struggled for many years, was sold in 1899 to A.W. Lee (founder of Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 54 daily newspapers in 23 states, and more than 300 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by A.W. Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa....
) for $120,000.
Both newspapers continued to grow in circulation, before combining operations in 1964. The formerly separate newspapers became known as the Times-Democrat. By 1974, with circulation expanding throughout eastern Iowa and western Illinois, the newspaper was given its current name.
In December 1989, the Quad-City Times moved into its current building at 500 E. Third St., Davenport. The facility, completed at a cost of $23.8 million, includes a five-story press room, mail room, warehouse and editorial offices. The facility also houses Trico, the newspaper's commercial printing business.
The Quad-City Times has been on the leading edge of technology, becoming the first all-electronic newspaper in 1973. Electronic pagination began in 1988, with all-digital photography taking root by 1994.
Current Quad-City Times columnists include Don Doxsie, Alma Gaul, Barb Ickes, Steve Martens, Kay Luna, John Willard and Bill Wundram. The current editor is Jan Touney. Julie Bechtel is the publisher of the Quad-City Times.
Other editions
The newspaper receives Iowa political news from Lee Enterprises' Des MoinesDes Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
bureau
News bureau
A News bureau is an office for gathering or distributing news. Similar terms are used for specialized bureaus, often to indicate geographic location or scope of coverage: a ‘Tokyo bureau’ refers to a given news operation's office in Tokyo; foreign bureau is a generic term for a news office set up...
, and Illinois political news from its Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
bureau.
Previously, the Quad-City Times published two additional editions, which have since been discontinued:
- An "Illinois Edition" that circulated in the Illinois Quad Cities, and throughout Rock Island, Henry and Mercer counties
- A bureau in ClintonClinton, IowaClinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26231as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa , was named in honor of the seventh governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical...
that compiled news for a "Gateway Edition." This edition went to ClintonClinton County, Iowa-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 49,116 in the county, with a population density of . There were 21,733 housing units, of which 20,223 were occupied.-2000 census:...
and JacksonJackson County, Iowa-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 19,848 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,415 housing units, of which 8,289 were occupied.-2000 census:...
counties in Iowa, and Carroll and Whiteside counties in Illinois during the week. Both separate editions have since been discontinued.
The "Quad-City Times" is also available on the Amazon Kindle book reader; however without ads, classifieds and most photos and tables.
Other publications
In addition to its other editions, the Quad-City Times also publishes:- Quad-City Business Journal, a monthly business magazine with stories about Quad-CityQuad CitiesThe Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...
area businesses. - On the River, a journal dedicated to life on the Mississippi RiverMississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
Sources
- "Scott County Heritage," Scott County Heritage Book Committee, Taylor Publishing, Dallas, 1991.
- "Quad-City Times: Doing Business Then and Now," Quad-City Times 150th anniversary section, Sept. 11, 2005. Includes a timeline detailing the newspaper's history on pages U22-27.