Inside The Olympian, circa 1900. Printers and type setters did all layout by hand. Today, all prepress is done electronically. ~Photo, The Olympian archives.

The Daily Olympian was published in 1901. This building was situated near the old Capitol building. ~Photo The Olympian archives.

Our Newspaper

Giving voice to the community. . .

Passions Heat Up

Olympia's first newspaper began almost as soon as the town was established. The first pages of The Columbian was printed on Sept. 11, 1852, under the direction of James W. Wiley and T.F McElroy.

Early newspapers came into existence to promote a civic, political or moral cause, and often disappeared once the crusade ended. They wielded considerable influence through ink.

In the 1850s, Olympia was one heck of a newspaper town. Passions often ran deep. So deep, in fact, that one editor was shot and killed. Thomas H. Boyd was shot by Ursula Unfung, his common-law wife, after he announced his intent to cancel his subscription, so to speak. She was not charged.

Many of the early newspapers first began in Olympia and later transplanted elsewhere. Newspapers such as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The News Tribune, Vancouver Columbian and The Washington Statesman began in Olympia or had ties to the area.

At one time in 1868, Olympia had five newspapers competing for readers and financial viability. Tramp printers, who carried their presses and type cases with them, came and went, creating and terminating newspapers; each one dedicated to a particular political or social cause that ranged from statehood to Prohibition. For a time, The Olympia Morning News was financed by the town's saloonkeepers to keep them informed of the temperance forces' actions.

In 1860, John Miller Murphy put a lasting mark on this community when he launched the Evening Olympian. The paper was the first daily in Olympia and published in conjunction with Murphy's weekly, the Washington Standard. The Evening Olympian probably served its greatest purpose by giving voice to those who staged the battle over the location of the capital.

Although there had been 68 newspapers launched in Olympia, Murphy's survived, mainly because of his enterprise as a newsman and his shrewd business sense.

On July 1, 1971, more than 100 years later, The Daily Olympian was acquired by Gannett Co. Inc. In February 1982 the newspaper's name was changed to The Olympian. Gannett is the most diverse communications and information company in the nation.

Each property is primarily run locally by the publisher and his or her team of directors. Today, The Olympian is an integral part of the community. Its mission is to provide an independent, credible voice for the communities it serves. The newspaper has evolved from an industry built for social or moral causes of a few to objective and responsible coverage for everyone.

One of the changes is due to Gannett's editorial ethics policies. Unlike the early days of our industry, the editorial policy is set by an editorial board, which includes The Olympian's publisher, managing editor and page editors, and community members.

The Olympian welcomes comments and suggestions from readers and publishes an opinion page to reflect their thoughts and views.

Newspapers Adapt to Changes

USA Today began printing on The Olympian's presses in November 1982 and is distributed from the Olympia plant to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Canada. The lower left-hand corner of the front page carries a small "OL," identifying Olympia as a print site of USA Today.

Although The Olympian has experienced many changes, many owners and several locations, one thing remains constant -- its commitment and passion to be the No. 1 newspaper for South Sound residents.

On June 26, 2000, The Olympian joined other newspapers across the nation that have changed their format. The width has narrowed, making it easier to use, easier to read and easier on our environment. One hundred years ago, newspapers were filled with column after column of gray type, with limited photos and rarely any color.

Today readers are more sophisticated. Exposed to an avalanche of information every waking hour, they are pressed for time to wade through the news. Today's readers are just as hungry for news, but they no longer have the time or the desire to spend hours looking through columns of tiny type to find out what is going on in their area. That is not peculiar to The Olympian, it is true of all newspapers today.

In addition to news, readers have special interests, like gardening, technology, health and entertainment. The Olympian also has developed stand-alone sections that include Real Estate, Home, Boom and Weekend to keep in step with rapidly changing lifestyles.

The key for a newspaper is to provide an ultra-quick overview of the news and yet provide behind-the-scenes information that fleshes out the bare bones of what may have been covered on the radio or TV. It's the story behind the sound bytes and headlines.

To provide readers with news at their finger tips, The Olympian launched The Olympian Online in June of 1998. Initially, it was a classified and real estate site. Today, it has evolved into a comprehensive site including: news, sports, entertainment, weather, community events, legislative information, and shopping sites. Individuals can access show times and reviews, or shop for a home, car, apartment, or private party merchandise -- all with the click of a mouse!

www.theolympian.com

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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