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This
profile considers the Freedom Communications group.
It covers -
introduction
Freedom Communications, based in Irvine (California) was
established by the Hoiles family and at times makes the
Copley Press look like a bunch
of socialists. It publishes 28 daily and 37 weekly newspapers
with a combined daily circulation of over 1.2 million
people. Its broadcast division includes eight television
stations - five CBS and three ABC network affiliates.
Freedom's corporate site is here.
activities
Freedom was founded by Raymond Cyrus Hoiles (1878-1970),
who took part in the 1930s hegira from Ohio to the groves
of Orange County, California. Hoiles was noted for a libertarianism
that embraced criticicisms of public schools, churches,
the police, public libraries, hospitals, the National
Association of Manufacturers, the United Nations, paper
money, majority rule, racial integration and of course
taxation and unions. It is perhaps unsurprising that in
1957 Time characterised him as "a crabby,
Bible-spouting zealot."
Ironically, given the founder's jeremiads against federal
regulation, the group has expanded from newspapers - it
has been the dominant publisher in Orange County - into
television broadcasting.
Freedom vaunts "family" and "the Freedom
Way" - "values of Integrity, Self-Responsibility,
Respect for Individual Freedom, Community and Life-Long
Learning" as interpreted by bien pensants
such as Ayn Rand. Humility or a sense of humour apparently
aren't cardinal virtues. The Hoiles heirs have been fractious
since the late 1970s, with some members wanting to cash
out of the company and welcoming recurrent soundings by
Gannett or other chains, particularly
as asset values grew and particular acquisitions or launches
proved disappointing.
In late 2003 a compromise was reached, with Wall Street
financiers providing capital to allow the dissidents to
escape without a takeover by non-believers.
holdings
As of 2004 Freedom's daily newspapers include -
East Valley Tribune - Mesa
Scottsdale Tribune - Scottsdale
Daily News-Sun - Sun City
The Sun - Yuma
The Orange County Register
Desert Dispatch - Barstow
Appeal-Democrat - Marysville
Porterville Recorder - Porterville
Daily Press - Victorville
The Gazette - Colorado Springs
Northwest Florida Daily News - Fort Walton Beach
The News Herald - Panama City
The Telegraph - Alton
Journal-Courier - Jacksonville
The Tribune - Seymour
The Sedalia Democrat - Sedalia
Clovis News Journal - Clovis
Portales News-Tribune - Portales
Times-News - Burlington
The Gaston Gazette - Gastonia
The Daily News - Jacksonville
The Free Press - Kinston
Sun Journal - New Bern
The Shelby Star - Shelby
The Lima News - Lima
The Brownsville Herald - Brownsville
Valley Morning Star - Harlingen
The Monitor - McAllen
Odessa American - Odessa
Weekly Newspapers include -
Ahwatukee Foothill News - Phoenix
La Onda - Tuscon
Hesperia Star
The Destin Log - Destin
The Walton Sun - Santa Rosa
Quay County Sun - Tucumari
The Havelock News - Havelock
The Hickory News - Hickory
Jones Post - Trenton
The Mid-Valley Town Crier - Weslaco
Television stations include -
WRGB-TV - Albany New York
KFDM-TV - Beaumont Texas
WTVC-TV - Chattanooga Tennessee
KTVL-TV - Medford Oregon
WLNE-TV - Providence Rhode Island
WPEC-TV - West Palm Beach Florida
WWMT-TV - Grand Rapids Michigan
WLAJ-TV - Lansing Michigan
studies
There has been no major academic study of RC Hoiles, although
he's the subject of sometimes uncritical encomia on libertarian
web sites and newsletters.
landmarks
This chronology is indicative only. Context is provided
by the separate, more general communications and media
timeline.
1878 birth of Raymond Cyrus Hoiles, later works in daily
Alliance Review owned by brother Frank Hoiles
1919 R.C. & F Hoiles buy Lorain Times Herald
in 1919
1921 buy Mansfield News, later dissolve their partnership
with R.C. buying Lorain and Mansfield titles
1927 buys Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum
1930 sells Lorain and Mansfield titles to Brush-Moore
after bomb threats, discovers Ayn Rand
1935 moves to Santa Ana (Orange County)
1935 buys The Santa Ana Register
1935 buys Clovis News Journal
1936 buys Pampa (Texas) Daily News
1946 buys Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph
1946 buys Appeal Democrat in Marysville, California
1948 buys Odessa American in Texas
1950 establishes Freedom Newspapers, Inc
1951 buys Brownsville Herald, the McAllen Monitor
and Harlingen Valley Morning Star for US$2m
1955 Santa Ana Register becomes The Register
1970 death of RC Hoiles
1980 Freedom buys Delta Democrat-Times for US$20m
1981 death of Clarence Harrison Hoiles
1985 The Register becomes Orange County Register
1993 establishment of Freedom Magazine Division
1995 sells Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum to Thomson
1996 buys WPEC-TV West Palm Beach, WWMT-TV Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo
and WLAJ-TV Lansing
1996 buys newspapers in Shelby, Sedalia, Jacksonville,
Barstow, and Portales
1997 takes 50% stake in Mode magazine
1998 launches Girl, Egg, Pacific
Coast Trade and Knowledge Management magazines
1999 buys newspapers in Mesa and Yuma
1999 sells World Trade magazine
1999 P.O.V magazine ceases
2000 swaps Ft Pierce Tribune for Scripps'
Destin Log and Walton Log
2001 Mode magazine closes
2003 Blackstone Group and Providence Equity Partners take
stake in Freedom
2004 Freedom sells Delta Democrat-Times
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