Cowles Media Company ( ) (1935–1998) was a newspaper, magazine and information publishing company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. The company operated Cowles Business Media, Cowles Creative Publishing, and Cowles Enthusiast Media units. Its flagship publication was the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Other papers owned by the company at one time were the Des Moines Register, the Buffalo Courier-Express, the Scottsdale Progress and the Rapid City Journal. The company also owned the Register and Tribune Syndicate.

The company traded as Cowles Magazines (1946–1965), and Cowles Communications, Inc. (1965–1971). From 1969 to 1971 Cowles Communications sold Family Circle and other publications, retaining five broadcasting stations, a travel magazine, and a marketing service. Look magazine (1937–1971) was published by an unrelated company known as Look, Inc. (1937–1945). In 1998, Cowles Media was acquired by The McClatchy Company and was absorbed into the larger company at that time and ceased.

History

Origins In 1903, banker Gardner Cowles Sr. acquired a 50% stake in the Des Moines Register and Leader, a newspaper in Iowa. This made him the largest shareholder. The paper was later renamed to The Des Moines Register. In 1908, he acquired the Des Moines Tribune. In 1922, Cowles established the Register and Tribune Syndicate with Henry P. Martin as its general manager. In 1931, the company entered the radio market when it acquired the KSO radio station in Clarinda and moved it to Des Moines, Iowa. In March 1935, KSO became KRNT, with the new call letters, "R 'n T" short for "Register and Tribune."

Growth In June 1935, the Cowles family purchased the Minneapolis Star. At that point, the Cowles Media Company formed with Gardner Cowles Sr. handing control of his newspapers to his sons John Cowles Sr. and Gardner "Mike" Cowles Jr."Gardner Cowles Sr." The Annals of Iowa #28 (1946), 75-76. In 1939, the company purchased the Minneapolis Evening Journal and merged it with the Star to form the Star-Journal. In 1941 the company bought the Minneapolis Morning Tribune. This gave Cowles ownership of the major newspapers on the western side of the Twin Cities. The Tribune became Minneapolis' morning newspaper, the Star-Journal (shortened to the Star in 1947) was the evening newspaper, and they published a joint Sunday edition.Morison, Bradley (1966). Sunlight on Your Doorstep: The Minneapolis Tribune's First Hundred Years. Minneapolis: Ross & Haines. A separate evening newspaper called the Times was spun off and published until 1948. In 1949, Colwes sold WOL (AM) to The Capital Broadcasting Co.

In 1955, Cowles entered the television market as the 60% majority owner of KRNT-TV in Des Moines, Iowa. This marked the start of the company's expansion into television. Later that year Cowles acquired KTVH for $1.07 million. In 1964, Cowles Media acquired the Rapid City Journal. In April 1965, the company bought a 50% stake in Harper's Magazine, followed by the Great Falls Tribune. The company sold WREG-TV to The New York Times Company in 1971, KRNT to Stauffer Publications in 1973, and WREC in 1974. Cowles purchased the South Idaho Press in 1977, and the Buffalo Courier-Express in 1979.

Decline In 1980, Harper's Magazine was sold to the MacArthur Foundation after Cowles had announced plans to close the publication. In April 1982, the afternoon Star was discontinued and the two papers merged into a single morning paper called the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. In June 1982, the Des Moines Tribune was absorbed into the Des Moines Register. In July 1982, KTVH was sold for $12 million.

In September 1982, the Buffalo Courier-Express ceased publication after losing $8.6 million annually. This came after the paper's union rejected a sale to News American Publishing, owned by Rupert Murdoch, as the deal called for a 40% cut in staff and other contract givebacks.

Cowles sold WDRB for $10 million in 1984, the Des Moines Register to Gannett Co. in 1985, and the Register and Tribune Syndicate to Hearst for $4.3 million in 1986.Strentz, Herb. "John Cowles," Cowles Family Publishing Legacy: Drake University, Cowles Library. Accessed Jan. 3, 2018. The company acquired the Scottsdale Progress in May 1987, and then sold the South Idaho Press to Park Communications in July 1987, the Rapid City Journal to Lee Enterprises for $45 million in February 1990, Great Falls Tribune to Gannett Co. in May 1990, and the Scottsdale Progress to Cox Newspapers in 1993.

The Cowles Media Company was purchased by The McClatchy Company for $1.4 billion in 1997. McClatchy kept the Star Tribune newspaper, which by then was the primary asset in the sale, and sold the other business units to PRIMEDIA and to a management team.

Newspapers owned by the Cowles Media Company Name City Years owned Fate Des Moines Register Des Moines, Iowa 1903–1985 Sold to the Gannett Company Des Moines Tribune Des Moines, Iowa 1908–1982 Absorbed into the Des Moines Register Star-Tribune Minneapolis, Minnesota 1935–1998 Sold to The McClatchy Company Buffalo Courier-Express Buffalo, New York 1979–1982 Ceased publication after sale to Rupert Murdoch was rejected by union Scottsdale Progress Scottsdale, Arizona 1987–1993 Sold to Cox Newspapers Rapid City Journal Rapid City, South Dakota 1964–1990 Sold to Lee Enterprises Great Falls Tribune Great Falls, Montana1965–1990 Sold to Gannett Company South Idaho Press Burley, Idaho 1977–1987 Sold to Park Communications

List of specialty magazines Healthy lifestyles Climbing magazineCowles Enthusiast Media Magazines archived 1998 January 19. Retrieved September 30, 2018. Country Journal Low-Fat & Fast Natural Remedies Vegetarian Times

Collectibles Doll Reader Figurines & Collectibles Nautical World (formerly Nautical Collector) Teddy Bear and Friends

History magazines Eight of the history magazines subsequently published by Weider History Group starting around 2006.

America's Civil War American History Aviation History British Heritage Civil War Times Illustrated Columbiad Early American Homes (formerly Early American Life) Historic Traveler MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History Military History Vietnam Magazine Wild West Women's History (annual)cowles.com - Women's History, archived 1998 January 19. Retrieved September 30, 2018. World War II

Hunting Bowhunter Fly Fisherman

Recreation Dressage & CT Horse & Rider KITPLANES Practical Horseman Southwest Art

Former television stations City of License / Market Station Channel Years owned Current status Daytona Beach–Orlando, FL WESH-TV 2 1965–1985 NBC affiliate owned by Hearst Television Honolulu, HI KHON-TV 1 2 1979–1985 Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group Moline–Rock Island, IL–Davenport, IA WQAD-TV 8 1978–1985 ABC affiliate owned by Tegna Inc. Louisville, KY WDRB 41 1977–1983 Fox affiliate owned by Block Communications Des Moines, IA KRNT-TV/KCCI 8 1955–1985 2 CBS affiliate owned by Hearst Television Sioux City, IA KVTV 9 1953–1957 ABC affiliate KCAU-TV, owned by Nexstar Media Group Wichita–Hutchinson, KS KTVH 12 1955–1983 CBS affiliate KWCH-DT, owned by Gray Media Memphis, TN WREC-TV 3 1962–1971 CBS affiliate WREG-TV, owned by Nexstar Media Group Huntington–Charleston, WV WHTN-TV 13 1956–1960 CBS affiliate WOWK-TV, owned by Nexstar Media Group

Notes: 1 Cowles also owned KHON-TV's satellite in Wailuku, KAII-TV. Another KHON-TV satellite, KHAW-TV in Hilo, was owned by a third party but leased to Cowles. The Hawaii stations were NBC affiliates under Cowles. 2 Cowles owned a majority share of this station when it first signed on and became its sole owner shortly thereafter.

Gallery

See also Cowles Company King Features Syndicate Office of War Information Rent Group Simba Information The Des Moines Register

External links Cowles family archives at Drake University's Cowles Library

Notes