The paper was first published in 1883 as the
Anniston Evening Star. It traces its modern history to 1911, when managing editor Col. Harry M. Ayers left to start his own paper, the
Anniston Hot Blast—a nod to Anniston's roots as a steel town. By 1912, the
Hot Blast had become Anniston's largest newspaper, and was more than large enough to absorb the
Evening Star. Although the merged paper was initially called the
Anniston Hot Blast and Evening Star, the
Hot Blast name was eventually dropped. The
Star has been owned by the Ayers family since 1911. Early on, the
Star gained a reputation as one of the few liberal-minded Southern newspapers. It was one of the few progressive Southern papers to support
Franklin D. Roosevelt during all four of his election campaigns. In 1948, it broke with the
Dixiecrats, who had taken over the Democratic machinery in Alabama, and supported
Harry Truman for president. H. Brandt Ayers took over the paper from his father in 1965. Under the younger Ayers' watch, the
Star reversed its initial skepticism toward the
Civil Rights Movement and strongly supported school integration, one of the few Southern papers to do so.
George Wallace derisively nicknamed the paper
The Red Star for its support of integration. It has consistently remained one of the more liberal newspapers in a state that has grown increasingly friendly to Republicans. The
Star is Consolidated's flagship paper. Other newspapers printed by the company include
The Daily Home, and the weeklies
The Cleburne News, the
St. Clair Times, and the
News Journal. The
Star is a community newspaper and the dominant source of retail advertising in the region. Its online edition offers the content of the print edition, along with syndicated articles from Consolidated's network papers. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony Cook, head of the
Star's publishing company, announced that the editorial page was to be discontinued. Cook also voluntarily furloughed himself rather than laying off staff. In March 2019 H. Brandt Ayers resigned as head of Consolidated Publishing after further alleged incidents of misconduct on his part emerged, including further alleged incidents of physical abuse, particularly spanking of female staff. He was replaced by his wife, Josephine Ayers. H. Brandt Ayers died in May 2020. == References ==