The history of the
News-Chronicle

News-Chronicle
The Green Bay News-Chronicle can trace its history back only a few years, but it's made a lot of newspaper history in a relatively short time.

The newspaper published its first issue Nov. 13, 1972, when striking employees of the Green Bay Press-Gazette decided to start a strike newspaper. The Green Bay Daily News was originally a broadsheet, published in the afternoons. People who had been ad composers and pressmen were now running the front office.

Somehow, the employees managed to hang on, switching the Daily News to morning publication. But by 1974, the losses had the paper near death.

At that point, Frank A. Wood, publisher of a weekly, the Brown County Chronicle, came to the rescue. Wood's Brown County Publishing had been printing the Daily News as an outside job, but it became part of the family. He bought 45 percent of the dying Daily News and merged the two. The first tabloid edition of The Green Bay News-Chronicle appeared April 12, 1976.

The News-Chronicle's different style attracted an audience, as did its morning delivery. Slowly, the paper grew stronger.

But there were challenges. A major one came in 1979 when the Press-Gazette was bought by the Gannett chain - a story broken locally by The News-Chronicle. Still, by 1985, the News-Chronicle was able to turn an occasional monthly profit.

But the Press-Gazette and Gannett proved to be rough competitors. Things had turned bleak by 1989, and Wood decided on an unusual stroke. He brought in old friend Richard McCord, who had investigated business practices at Gannett, to do a series of articles. The series, "It's Now or Never!" told the story, as well as pleading The News-Chronicle's case for survival. The slide slowed.

(The story of McCord and "It's Now or Never!" is told in his book, "The Chain Gang, "published in 1996 by the University of Missouri Press.)

Richard McCord has been a professional journalist for more than twenty-five years at Newsday in New York, at the Santa Fe Reporter in New Mexico. His work has been honored for excellence by the Scripps Howard Foundation, the National Press Club, the National Newspaper Association and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

The News-Chronicle continued to provide a second voice for Green Bay and Brown County, Wis. The lucky readers there were among those in only a dozen cities to have separately-owned, separately-run competing newspapers. And local advertisers benefit from rates far below those in cities where there is a monopoly.

In 1996, just in time for the Packers' run to the Superbowl, The News-Chronicle went online, serving not only Brown County but the world.

On July 22, 2004, under the headline, "News-Chronicle sold to Gannett," appeared the following story:

The Green Bay News-Chronicle has been sold to Gannett Co. Inc., for an undisclosed amount of money. The announcement, made today by Ellen Leifeld, a Midwest Group vice-president for Gannett, and Frank Wood, owner of Brown County Publishing Co. (BCP) in Denmark, said the daily paper was part of a 34-publication acquisition which encompasses essentially all the titles owned by Brown County Publishing.

The former BCP publications will form the Bay Publishing business unit of Gannett’s Winnebago group, which is under the direction of Leifeld, who also is publisher and president of the Post-Crescent.

Leifeld said no immediate changes are planned. “We want to spend some time to better understand the publications, get to know the employees and develop a plan to carry on the community newspaper tradition.”

Al Rasmussen, former vice-president of publications for BCP, becomes the new general manager for Bay Publications. Tom Brooker, vice-president of editorial operations and editor of the News-Chronicle, will continue to oversee the news content of the papers.

Brown County Publishing Co. will retain its commercial printing operations in Denmark and Brookfield, Wood said, and will assume ownership of two auto-sales magazines that are now being published by Wood as an individual.

Wood said a large factor in selling to his long-time rival was Leifeld’s commitment both to employees and strong community journalism.

"I believe (Leifeld) shares my belief that a newspaper is a stewardship," Wood wrote in a goodbye-column that will run in Sunday’s This Week Magazine. "She has offered jobs with comparable pay and benefits to all of our employees who are affected, and at present says she has no plans for significant changes.

"I believe she will do well."

With the sale, approximately 180 employees will shift from BCP to Gannett.

Gannett is the nation’s largest newspaper group in terms of circulation.

The company's 101 daily newspapers in the United States have a combined daily paid circulation of 7.6 million. They include USA Today with a circulation of approximately 2.2 million.

Gannett also owns USA Weekend, a weekly newspaper magazine of 22.7 million circulation delivered in 610 newspapers.

Wood, who began his publishing career 51 years ago with the purchase of the Denmark Press, turned 78 last week. He said he plans to remain active in the reshaped company that he retains, and sons Chris and Pat will take lead roles as well.