The Atlanta Journal

Few cities in the United States have a daily newspaper that has published continuously for more than 100 years. Luckily, Atlanta, Georgia has the Atlanta Journal which has long been acclaimed for its unique character. It has won several Pulitzer Prizes and has nurtured the careers of many famous journalists.

The Early History

The Atlanta Journal entered the city's newspaper war early in 1883 as an afternoon paper. It was under the banner of its founder, E.F. Hoge who had invested in the latest printing presses, which turned out a sparkling product in the end. However, it is interesting to know that it was old-fashioned reporting that has propelled the Atlanta Journal in its first year.

After the Atlanta Journal attained compliments and credibility in its first year, it was bought by Hoke Smith, a successful young lawyer, for $10,000 in June 1887. He performed several innovations and developments on the writing style and overall design of the paper and it promoted the Journal's (as it is commonly called) reputation and circulation. The Atlanta Journal and Hoke Smith were then strong supporters of the Democrat Grover Cleveland in the 1892 presidential election. When Cleveland was elected, he repaid Smith by way of appointing him to the cabinet as secretary of the interior. This is what brings national attention to Smith and the Atlanta Journal.

The Atlanta Journal employed 200 people by 1900. It had also a daily circulation of 30,000 that same year. However, Smith and a number of minority stockholders decided to sell the paper to James Gray, Morris Brandon, and H. M. Atkinson for $300,000. Under the new management, innovation continued. Gray then served as Journal's editor and publisher. In 1901, a specialized sport reporting was added, including a Sunday edition in 1902, as well as one of the country's first Sunday magazines in 1912. Under Gray's management, the Atlanta Journal also took progressive editorial positions, becoming one of the early opponents of better roads to accommodate the infant automobile industry. But, Gray died unexpectedly in 1917, and Major John S. Cohen took over leadership of the paper, serving as the editor and president until his death in 1935.

The Expansion

In March 1922, the Atlanta Journal received the broadcasting license award for WSB radio. The WSB actually started broadcasting with 100 watts of power, equivalent to the wattage of an ordinary light bulb today. It was in 1926 when it joined the fledgling NBC network, and within a decade it had become a 50,000 watt powerhouse that could be heard at points throughout the country.

It is worth noting that after John Cohen's death in 1935, the paper was led by Inman Gray, the oldest son of the former Atlanta Journal president James Gray. However, in December 1939, the paper and its radio station were sold to James Middleton Cox, a nationally known statesman and journalist. It is under his management that the Journal attained great fame, and it has flourished before and after his death in July 1957.

The Atlanta Journal under the management of Cox rivaled with the Atlanta Constitution, although both have been under common ownership since March 1950. They were consolidated in November 5, 2001, bringing today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which has been published daily under a joint masthead. This merger is now known as the largest daily newspaper in the Southeast, with an average daily circulation of 640,000.