Louisville Defender

Last updated
Louisville Defender
Type Weekly newspaper
Format Broadsheet
EditorYvonne Bach [1]
General managerClarence Leslie [1]
Founded1933
Language American English
Headquarters1720 Dixie Highway, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Circulation 1,115 [1]
OCLC number 10644972
Website Official website

Louisville Defender is a weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky.

Contents

History

It was founded in 1933 by Alvin H. Bowman of Louisville and John Sengstacke of Chicago, as an affiliate of the Chicago Defender . It joined The Louisville Leader and Louisville News as African-American newspapers in the city.

Frank L. Stanley Sr. bought Sengstacke's share in 1936, and published the paper for the next 37 years. [2] By 1942, the newspaper had reached its target circulation of 15,000. [3] The paper became profitable after purchasing its own printing press in 1956. [3] Circulation dipped in 1953 when it became a tabloid, and dropped to 10,000 in the 1960s when other major newspapers started hiring African Americans to cover civil right issues in their papers. [4]

Stanley's column, "Being Frank", became nationally syndicated in the 1940s. [2] During the 1950s the paper covered issues related to integrated public accommodation, and in the 1950s and 1960s it covered open housing, equal job opportunities, and desegregated schools. [4]

After Stanley's death in 1974, his wife and sons became co-publishers. Circulation dropped to 2,600 weekly by 1985, and the family sold its ownership to Consumer Communications Industries Corporation headed by Clarence Leslie. [4] As of 2020, weekly circulation was listed as 1,115. [1]

Photography

Bud Dorsey was a full-time photographer for the Defender for more than 20 years when he retired in 2002. [5] [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Louisville Defender". Kentucky Press Association. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  2. 1 2 Towles, Donald B. (1994). The Press of Kentucky: 1787-1994. Kentucky Press Association. ASIN   B0006P81OQ.
  3. 1 2 Kleber, John E. (1992). "Louisville Defender". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. p. 582. ISBN   9780813117720.
  4. 1 2 3 Gerald L., Smith (2015). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. p. 335. ISBN   9780813160658.
  5. "Bud Dorsey: Shot in the Light". Louisville.com. 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
  6. Burton, Bill (2017-11-02). "West Louisville Through The Lens Of Photographer Bud Dorsey". 89.3 WFPL News Louisville. Retrieved 2020-07-25.

38°13′34″N85°47′31″W / 38.226°N 85.792°W / 38.226; -85.792