Forest Grove Leader

Last updated

Forest Grove Leader
Forest Grove Leader logo.png
Type Weekly newspaper
Format Tabloid
Owner(s) Advance Publications Inc.
PublisherOregonian Publishing Co.
EditorSamantha Swindler (effective c. February 2013) [1]
Founded2012
Ceased publication
  • 2016 (as the Forest Grove Leader)
  • 2017 (as the Washington County Argus)
HeadquartersForest Grove, Oregon
Website oregonlive.com/leader

The Forest Grove Leader was a weekly community newspaper in Forest Grove in the U.S. state of Oregon. Started in 2012, it was published by the Oregonian Publishing Company, which also published The Hillsboro Argus newspaper and continues to publish The Oregonian . The free publication competed with the News-Times in the city, a suburb of the Portland metropolitan area. In January 2016, it was combined with two other newspapers to form the Washington County Argus, but the Argus ceased publication only 14 months later, in March 2017. [2]

Contents

History

The Oregonian, the major daily newspaper in the Portland area, purchased The Hillsboro Argus, a community newspaper in Hillsboro, in 1999. Pamplin Media Group, who publishes the News-Times, a community paper in Forest Grove, launched the Hillsboro Tribune in August 2012 to compete with The Argus. [3] In October 2012, the Oregonian Publishing Co. announced it would launch a newspaper in Forest Grove, the Leader. [4] [5] [6] It had been rumored the prior month that the company would launch the paper. [6] [7]

The new, free publication started on October 17, 2012, and replaced the Courier, which had been a free Argus paper delivered to residents in western Washington County. [4] [8] The first issue was set to be mailed free to over 16,000 homes. [3] The publisher planned to open a local office in Forest Grove after the Leader's debut and hire new employees while also using existing staff. [3]

The move by the Leader’s owners was seen as payback for Pamplin’s move into Hillsboro, with the newspaper war focused on winning the Hillsboro market. [5] [9] [10] The Hillsboro market had 93,455 residents compared to 21,488 for Forest Grove, and household spending on retail goods in Hillsboro was 154 percent of the state-wide figure while the same figure for Forest Grove was only 41.9 percent. [9] The competition between the media companies in Washington County was the focus of a "Think Out Loud" segment on Oregon Public Broadcasting in November 2012. [10] In January 2013, Samantha Swindler was named as the editor of the paper. [1]

In December 2015, it was announced that the paper would be combined with the Beaverton Leader and the Hillsboro Argus to form the Washington County Argus. [11] The successor paper lasted only 14 months, being discontinued in March 2017. [2] [12]

Coverage

The paper was designed to provide hyperlocal coverage to Forest Grove, Banks, Gales Creek, Gaston, and parts of Cornelius. [3] [9] Stories would be posted online at OregonLive.com, which also hosts content from The Oregonian. [3] Coverage included high school sports, education, Pacific University, government, and other local news in the Forest Grove area. [3] [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Grove, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, 25 miles (40 km) west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a commuter town in the Portland metro area. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850, then incorporated in 1872, making it the first city in Washington County. The population was 21,083 at the 2010 census, an increase of 19.1% over the 2000 figure (17,708).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsboro, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Hillsboro is the 5th most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, such as Intel, locally known as the Silicon Forest. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 106,447.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tualatin River</span> River in Oregon, United States

The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon in the United States. The river is about 83 miles (134 km) long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley. There are approximately 500,000 people residing on 15 percent of the land in the river's watershed.

<i>Portland Tribune</i> Weekly newspaper published from Portland, Oregon

The Portland Tribune is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area. Launched in 2001, the paper was published twice weekly until 2008, when it was reduced to weekly. It returned to twice-weekly publication in 2014 and was again reduced to weekly publication in 2020. It was distributed free from its 2001 launch until October 2022, then becoming available only by paid subscription or purchase at retail outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry Grove, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Cherry Grove is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Cherry Grove is situated on the north bank of the Tualatin River near where it exits the Northern Oregon Coast Range and enters Patton Valley.

<i>The Hillsboro Argus</i>

The Hillsboro Argus was a twice-weekly newspaper in the city of Hillsboro, Oregon, from 1894 to 2017, known as the Washington County Argus for its final year. The Argus was distributed in Washington County, Oregon, United States. First published in 1894, but later merged with the older, 1873-introduced Forest Grove Independent, the paper was owned by the McKinney family for more than 90 years prior to being sold to Advance Publications in 1999. The Argus was published weekly until 1953, then twice-weekly from 1953 until 2015. In early 2017, it was reported that the paper was planning to cease publication in March 2017. The final edition was that of March 29, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Grove School District (Oregon)</span>

Forest Grove School District is a public school district in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It serves the communities of Cornelius, Dilley, Forest Grove and Gales Creek. David Parker is the superintendent of the district. The Forest Grove Elementary college District 15 was created in 1855 and later merged with several other districts including the Cornelius Elementary School District 2, with the larger district then later merged with the Forest Grove high school district (5). The Cornelius district was dissolved in 1960, with the western parts of the enrollment area going to the Forest Grove district and the eastern part going to the Hillsboro districts.

The Pamplin Media Group (PMG) is a media conglomerate owned by Robert B. Pamplin, Jr. and operating primarily in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of 2019, the company owns 25 newspapers and employs 200 people.

The Beaverton Valley Times, also known as the Valley Times, is a weekly newspaper covering the city of Beaverton, Oregon, United States, and adjacent unincorporated areas in the northern part of the Tualatin Valley. Owned since 2000 by the Pamplin Media Group, the paper was established in 1921. Currently based in neighboring Portland, the Valley Times is printed each Thursday.

Daniel M. C. Gault was a newspaperman, educator and politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Iowa, he immigrated to the Oregon Territory with his family as a child where he became a teacher in several locales. A Republican, he served three terms in the Oregon Legislative Assembly over a period of nearly 30 years. He also worked for several newspapers and founded two others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dilley, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Dilley is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is located south of Forest Grove and north of the city of Gaston on Oregon Route 47 in the Portland metropolitan area. Settled in the late 1840s, the community was platted in 1874 after the arrival of the railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Chorale</span>

The Oregon Chorale is an American concert choir based in Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1985 as the Washington County Chorale, the 60 person group performs in the Portland metropolitan area, as well as tours in Europe. The group presents music ranging from classical and opera music to folk and contemporary numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center</span> Nonprofit healthcare provider

Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center is a non-profit organization that provides primary health care in Washington and Yamhill counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Established in 1975, Virginia Garcia operates five medical clinics, five dental clinics, one women's clinic as well as six school-based health centers, and is based in Cornelius, Oregon. The organization was founded to provide medical care to migrant and farm workers and those with barriers to care. It was named after the daughter of migrant workers who died after failing to receive medical treatment for an infected cut on her foot. In 2016, Virginia Garcia had revenues of $60 million and served 45,000 patients.

<i>Hillsboro Tribune</i>

The Hillsboro Tribune was a weekly newspaper that covered the city of Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon and was published from 2012 to 2019. It was replaced in 2019 by a Hillsboro edition of the Forest Grove News-Times, a sister publication.

<i>News-Times</i> (Forest Grove) Newspaper in Forest Grove, Oregon

The News-Times is a weekly newspaper covering the cities of Forest Grove and Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Established in 1886 and with coverage focused on Forest Grove for most of its history, the paper only recently added equivalent coverage of the much larger city of Hillsboro, when, in August 2019, publisher Pamplin Media Group launched a separate Hillsboro edition of the News-Times, to replace Pamplin's Hillsboro Tribune. The paper is published on Wednesdays. It is owned by Pamplin Media Group, which owns other community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonrise Church</span> Church in Oregon, United States

Sonrise Church is a Conservative Baptist church in Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1980 as Sonrise Baptist Church, the church is located in the Orenco neighborhood and has about 1,200 worshipers at its main campus, a former industrial building.

The Columbia County Spotlight, previously known as the Scappoose Spotlight and the South County Spotlight, is a weekly newspaper in Columbia County, Oregon, United States, established in 1961.

Journalism in the U.S. state of Oregon had its origins from the American settlers of the Oregon Country in the 1840s. This was decades after explorers like Robert Gray and Lewis and Clark first arrived in the region, several months before the first newspaper was issued in neighboring California, and several years before the United States formally asserted control of the region by establishing the Oregon Territory.

References

  1. 1 2 Driessen, Katherine (January 8, 2013). "Samantha Swindler to serve as editor of the Forest Grove Leader". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Pursinger, Geoff (February 3, 2017) [published online January 26]. "Argus newspaper to cease publication in March". Hillsboro Tribune . pp. A1, A5. Archived from the original on January 30, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Njus, Elliot (October 2, 2012). "Oregonian to launch weekly newspaper in Forest Grove". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Gaston, Christian (October 9, 2012). "In brief: Hello Leader, goodbye Courier". News-Times . Archived from the original on October 12, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Mesh, Aaron (October 3, 2012). "The Oregonian Confirms It Will Launch Leader in Forest Grove". Willamette Week . Archived from the original on May 27, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Mesh, Aaron (September 25, 2012). "The Oregonian, Pamplin Group Are Talking Newspaper War Over Forest Grove". Willamette Week .
  7. Gaston, Christian (September 24, 2012). "Oregonian considering Forest Grove expansion". News-Times . Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  8. "Our opinion". News-Times . October 23, 2012. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Culverwell, Wendy (October 12, 2012). "Oregonian, Trib scuffle in suburbs". Portland Business Journal . Archived from the original on October 15, 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Looking at Community Newspapers". Think Out Loud. Oregon Public Broadcasting. November 8, 2012. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013.
  11. Townsley, Nancy (December 17, 2015). "Three Oregonian papers to consolidate into one". Hillsboro Tribune. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  12. "To Our Readers". Washington County Argus. March 29, 2017. p. A1. To Our Readers: The Washington County Argus, which is published by The Oregonian and distributed to residents and businesses at no charge, is being discontinued after today's edition. Much of the regional content ... can be found in The Oregonian and on OregonLive. The change will not affect newsroom staff.