Public Opinion (Chambersburg)
Encyclopedia
Public Opinion is
a morning newspaper published seven days a week in the Greater Chambersburg
area, including Franklin
, Cumberland
and Fulton
counties PA.
The newspaper also publishes a weekly total market coverage product, The Advertiser, and a monthly Faith magazine.
, and the county's most comprehensive source of local news and information.
Public Opinion began as a weekly newspaper and then became a daily first published in the morning, and in 1921 it became an afternoon paper. By 1931, Public Opinion had bought two other newspapers with long histories in Franklin County
, The Franklin Repository and Valley Spirit.
.
In 1971, Public Opinion became the 27th newspaper owned by Gannett Co. Inc., which publishes USA TODAY
and the weekly newspaper magazine USA WEEKEND
. The latter is an insert in Public Opinion on Sundays.
Public Opinion again became a morning newspaper in 2005, the same year that MediaNews Group Inc. took over controlling ownership as the newspaper's majority partner of the Texas-New Mexico Newspaper Partnership.
MediaNews, headquartered in Denver, Colo., is one of the nation s largest newspaper companies. It publishes 54 daily newspapers in 11 states.
The MediaNews Group-Gannett partnership includes three other south central Pennsylvania newspapers: the York Daily Record
and York Sunday News, Lebanon Daily News
, and The Evening Sun of Hanover and newspapers in El Paso, Texas
and New Mexico
.
and served in that role until 1914. It was later used as a canteen for World War I
soldiers passing through town and had a variety of manufacturing uses before 1956, when Public Opinion moved in.
In 2007, Public Opinion replaced its 50-year-old letterpress
with a Goss Urbanite offset press, and also introduced a Sunday edition.
Today, the newspaper is Franklin County's
largest daily newspaper, with a circulation of about 16,200 Mondays through Saturdays and 18,000 Sundays.
Public Opinion's web site, www.publicopiniononline.com, provides 24/7 local, national and world news and sports, breaking news updates and news videos, local photo galleries, discussion forums, entertainment and classifieds, attracting more than 400,000 visitors each month.
Besides the daily edition and web site, Public Opinion offers its readers and advertisers a complete line of products, ranging from seasonal special sections to preprinted inserts (national coupon inserts on Sundays).
a morning newspaper published seven days a week in the Greater Chambersburg
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg is a borough in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is miles north of Maryland and the Mason-Dixon line and southwest of Harrisburg in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley. Chambersburg is the county seat of Franklin County...
area, including Franklin
Franklin County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
, Cumberland
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
and Fulton
Fulton County, Pennsylvania
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 14,845.Fulton County was created on April 19, 1850, from part of Bedford County and named for inventor Robert Fulton.Its county seat is McConnellsburg....
counties PA.
The newspaper also publishes a weekly total market coverage product, The Advertiser, and a monthly Faith magazine.
History
Since 1869 when the first edition came off a flatbed press in a Main Street building in downtown Chambersburg Public Opinion has been a part of life in the Cumberland ValleyCumberland Valley
The Cumberland Valley is a constituent valley of the Great Appalachian Valley and a North American agricultural region within the Atlantic Seaboard watershed in Pennsylvania and Maryland....
, and the county's most comprehensive source of local news and information.
Public Opinion began as a weekly newspaper and then became a daily first published in the morning, and in 1921 it became an afternoon paper. By 1931, Public Opinion had bought two other newspapers with long histories in Franklin County
Franklin County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
, The Franklin Repository and Valley Spirit.
Corporate Ownership
Founded by M.A. Foltz, Public Opinion remained in the Foltz family until 1964, when it was purchased by McClure NewspapersMcClure Syndicate
McClure Syndicate , the first American newspaper syndicate, introduced many American and British writers to the masses. Launched in 1884 by publisher Samuel S. McClure, it was the first successful company of its kind...
.
In 1971, Public Opinion became the 27th newspaper owned by Gannett Co. Inc., which publishes USA TODAY
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and the weekly newspaper magazine USA WEEKEND
USA Weekend
USA Weekend is a national publication distributed through more than 800+ newspapers in the United States. It reaches 47 million readers in 22.6 million households every weekend. Awarded for its journalism and design, USA WEEKEND focuses on social issues, entertainment, health, food and travel....
. The latter is an insert in Public Opinion on Sundays.
Public Opinion again became a morning newspaper in 2005, the same year that MediaNews Group Inc. took over controlling ownership as the newspaper's majority partner of the Texas-New Mexico Newspaper Partnership.
MediaNews, headquartered in Denver, Colo., is one of the nation s largest newspaper companies. It publishes 54 daily newspapers in 11 states.
The MediaNews Group-Gannett partnership includes three other south central Pennsylvania newspapers: the York Daily Record
York Daily Record
The York Daily Record/York Sunday News is a morning newspaper that serves York, Pennsylvania.The paper, printed in a broadsheet format, is published seven days a week...
and York Sunday News, Lebanon Daily News
Lebanon Daily News
Lebanon Daily News is a local daily newspaper based in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The main office is located on 718 Poplar Street. It publishes as an afternoon paper Monday through Friday and as a morning paper on Saturday and Sunday.-Prices and Circulation:...
, and The Evening Sun of Hanover and newspapers in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Today
Public Opinion's current home at North Third and East King streets was constructed about 1875 as a passenger station of the Cumberland Valley RailroadCumberland Valley Railroad
The Cumberland Valley Railroad was an early railroad in Pennsylvania, USA, originally chartered in 1831 to connect with Pennsylvania’s Main Line of Public Works...
and served in that role until 1914. It was later used as a canteen for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
soldiers passing through town and had a variety of manufacturing uses before 1956, when Public Opinion moved in.
In 2007, Public Opinion replaced its 50-year-old letterpress
Letterpress printing
Letterpress printing is relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed" printing press and movable type, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image...
with a Goss Urbanite offset press, and also introduced a Sunday edition.
Today, the newspaper is Franklin County's
Franklin County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
largest daily newspaper, with a circulation of about 16,200 Mondays through Saturdays and 18,000 Sundays.
Public Opinion's web site, www.publicopiniononline.com, provides 24/7 local, national and world news and sports, breaking news updates and news videos, local photo galleries, discussion forums, entertainment and classifieds, attracting more than 400,000 visitors each month.
Besides the daily edition and web site, Public Opinion offers its readers and advertisers a complete line of products, ranging from seasonal special sections to preprinted inserts (national coupon inserts on Sundays).
Awards
- Public Opinion is the recipient of the 1967 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for Journalism for Local General or Spot News Reporting.
- Robert V. Cox won the award for his reporting of a mountain manhunt that ended with the killing of a deranged gunman who had terrorized the community. He also wrote the book Deadly Pursuit, which later was made into a television movie.
- 2009 Pennsylvania Newspaper AssociationPennsylvania Newspaper AssociationThe Pennsylvania Newspaper Association is a trade group serving newspapers in Pennsylvania. The PNA seeks to "advance the interests of Pennsylvania newspapers" and protect the "free and independent press." It represents the newspaper industry in governmental affairs and provides public educational...
(Division IV)
- First Place - Editorial/Opinion Page Excellence
- First Place - Layout and Design
- Second Place - Best Use of Photography
- Second Place - Newspaper Promotion
- 2009 Keystone Press AwardsKeystone Press AwardsThe Keystone Press Awards are a prominent series of awards presented by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association to Pennsylvania journalists whose work displays "relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers, and furthers First Amendment values." Presented annually during the Pennsylvania...
(Division V)
- First Place - Sports Story
- Honorable Mention - Feature Story
- 2008 Keystone Press AwardsKeystone Press AwardsThe Keystone Press Awards are a prominent series of awards presented by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association to Pennsylvania journalists whose work displays "relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers, and furthers First Amendment values." Presented annually during the Pennsylvania...
(Division V)
- First Place - Editorial
- First Place - Sports Photo
- Second Place - Investigative Reporting
- Second Place - Special Project
- Second Place - Sports/Outdoor Column
- Honorable Mention - Sports Story