The
Herald history traces back through two lineages, the
Daily Advertiser and the old
Boston Herald, and two media moguls,
William Randolph Hearst and
Rupert Murdoch.
Founding The original
Boston Herald was founded in 1846 by a group of Boston printers jointly under the name of John A. French & Company. The paper was published as a single two-sided sheet, selling for one cent. Its first editor,
William O. Eaton, just 22 years old, said "The
Herald will be independent in politics and religion; liberal, industrious, enterprising, critically concerned with literacy and dramatic matters, and diligent in its mission to report and analyze the news, local and global." In 1847, the
Boston Herald absorbed the Boston
American Eagle.
The Boston Herald and Boston Journal In October 1917, John H. Higgins, the publisher and treasurer of the Boston Herald bought out its next door neighbor
The Boston Journal and created
The Boston Herald and Boston Journal The American Traveler Even earlier than the
Herald, the weekly
American Traveler was founded in 1825 as a bulletin for
stagecoach listings.
The Boston Evening Traveller The
Boston Evening Traveler was founded in 1845. The
Boston Evening Traveler was the successor to the weekly
American Traveler and the semi-weekly
Boston Traveler. In 1912, the
Herald acquired the
Traveler, continuing to publish both under their own names. For many years, the newspaper was controlled by many of the investors in
United Shoe Machinery Corporation. After a newspaper strike in 1967, Herald-Traveler Corp. suspended the afternoon
Traveler and absorbed the evening edition into the Herald to create the
Boston Herald Traveler. The Boston Daily Advertiser The
Boston Daily Advertiser was established in 1813 in Boston by
Nathan Hale. The paper grew to prominence throughout the 19th century, taking over other Boston area papers. In 1832 The Advertiser took over control of
The Boston Patriot, and then in 1840 it took over and absorbed
The Boston Gazette. The paper was purchased by
William Randolph Hearst in 1917. In 1920 the
Advertiser was merged with
The Boston Record, initially the combined newspaper was called the
Boston Advertiser however when the combined newspaper became an illustrated tabloid in 1921 it was renamed
The Boston American. Hearst Corp. continued using the name
Advertiser for its Sunday paper until the early 1970s.
The Boston Record On September 3, 1884,
The Boston Evening Record was started by the
Boston Advertiser as a campaign newspaper. The
Record was so popular that it was made a permanent publication. but Hearst faced steep declines in circulation and advertising. The company announced it would close the
Herald American—making Boston a one-newspaper town—on December 3, 1982. When the deadline came, Australian-born media baron
Rupert Murdoch was negotiating to buy the paper and save it. He closed on the deal after 31 hours of talks with Hearst and newspaper unions—and five hours after Hearst had sent out notices to newsroom employees telling them they were terminated. The newspaper announced its own survival the next day with a full-page headline: "You Bet We're Alive!"
The Boston Herald Murdoch changed the paper's name back to the
Boston Herald. The
Herald continued to grow, expanding its coverage and increasing its circulation until 2001, when nearly all newspapers fell victim to declining circulations and revenue.
Independent ownership In February 1994, Murdoch's
News Corporation was forced to sell the paper, in order that its subsidiary
Fox Television Stations could legally consummate its purchase of
Fox affiliate
WFXT (Channel 25) because Massachusetts Senator
Ted Kennedy included language in an appropriations bill barring one company from owning a newspaper and television station in the same market.
Patrick J. Purcell, who was the publisher of the
Boston Herald and a former
News Corporation executive, purchased the
Herald and established it as an independent newspaper. Several years later, Purcell would give the
Herald a suburban presence it never had by purchasing the money-losing
Community Newspaper Company from
Fidelity Investments. Although the companies merged under the banner of Herald Media, Inc., the suburban papers maintained their distinct editorial and marketing identity. After years of operating profits at Community Newspaper and losses at the
Herald, Purcell in 2006 sold the suburban chain to newspaper conglomerate Liberty Group Publishing of Illinois, which soon after changed its name to
GateHouse Media. The deal, which also saw GateHouse acquiring
The Patriot Ledger and
The Enterprise respectively in south suburban
Quincy and
Brockton, netted $225 million for Purcell, who vowed to use the funds to clear the
Herald's debt and reinvest in the Paper.
Boston Herald Radio On August 5, 2013, the
Herald launched an internet radio station named Boston Herald Radio, which includes shows hosted by much of the
Herald staff. The station's morning lineup is simulcast on 830 AM
WCRN from 10 am Eastern time to 12 noon Eastern time.
Bankruptcy In December 2017, the
Herald announced plans to sell itself to
GateHouse Media after filing for
chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The deal was scheduled to be completed by February 2018, with the new company streamlining and having layoffs in coming months. However, in early January 2018, another potential buyer, Revolution Capital Group of Los Angeles, filed a bid with the federal bankruptcy court; the
Herald reported in a press release that "the court requires BHI [Boston Herald, Inc.] to hold an auction to allow all potential buyers an opportunity to submit competing offers."
Digital First Media acquisition In February 2018, acquisition of the
Herald by
Digital First Media for almost $12 million was approved by the bankruptcy court judge in Delaware. The new owner, DFM, said they would be keeping 175 of the approximately 240 employees the
Herald had when it sought bankruptcy protection in December 2017. The acquisition was completed on March 19, 2018. with competitor
The Boston Globe, moving printing from
Taunton, Massachusetts, to
Rhode Island and its "dehumanizing cost-cutting efforts" in personnel. In June, some design and advertising layoffs were expected, with work moving to a sister paper,
The Denver Post. The "consolidation" took effect in August, with nine jobs eliminated. In late August 2018, it was announced that the
Herald would move its offices from Boston's
Seaport District to
Braintree, Massachusetts, in late November or early December. On October 27, 2020, the
Boston Herald endorsed
Donald Trump for the
2020 U.S. Presidential Election. In July 2024, the newspaper laid off three employees. It is not publicly known how many people still work at the
Boston Herald, but the newsroom in 2020 consisted of 24 employees. A few years prior, the paper employed 240 people. ==Awards==