The Portland Press Herald is a daily newspaper based in South Portland, Maine, with a statewide readership. The Press Herald mainly serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area of Portland. It is the most distributed newspaper in the state of Maine.
Founded in 1921, its roots extend to Maine's earliest newspapers, the Falmouth Gazette & Weekly Advertiser, started in 1785, and the Eastern Argus, first published in Portland in 1803. For most of the 20th century, it was the cornerstone of Guy Gannett Communications, before being sold to The Seattle Times Company in 1998.
Since 2023, it has been a part of the Maine Trust for Local News (METLN), a nonprofit group run by the National Trust for Local News that includes four other daily newspapers and 17 weekly newspapers.
History
Guy Gannett ownership In 1921, the Portland Daily Press was merged with the Portland Herald to form the Portland Press Herald in a sale of the Press from then U.S. Senator Frederick Hale to Guy P. Gannett, who had bought the Herald earlier the same year. The first edition of the Portland Press Herald was published on November 21, 1921. The Press Heralds circulation skyrocketed in the first year of Gannett's ownership, when the paper sold for two cents; circulation went from a little over 18,000 to nearly 29,000. Under Gannett's ownership, the traditionally pro-Republican newspaper adopted a balanced editorial approach; during the 1922 gubernatorial campaign, the newspaper published Democratic candidate William Robinson Pattangall's criticism of the Republican incumbent, Governor Percival Baxter. In a letter to readers, Gannett wrote, "The American people think for themselves. They want and should be given the news and all the news fully and uncolored by any personal or political consideration."
In the 1920s, Gannett's media empire in Maine grew: he purchased the Portland Evening Express and Daily Advertiser in 1925 (whose name he shortened to Evening Express) and by 1929 also bought Augusta's Kennebec Journal and Waterville's Central Maine Morning Sentinel.
In 1923, Gannett built a new building to house all of the paper's operations on 390 Congress Street across from Portland City Hall.
In 1928, the Portland Press Herald merged with the Portland Sunday Telegram to form the Portland Sunday Telegram and Sunday Press Herald .
Blethen Maine Newspapers In 1998, the family trust that ran what was by now Guy Gannett Communications decided to break up its media interests. Ultimately, it decided to sell the Press Herald to The Seattle Times Company. Gannett officials cited shared values; the Times Company was also a family-owned business, and its owners, the Blethen family, had roots in Maine. The Press Herald and its sister publications were reorganized as Blethen Maine Newspapers, an independent division of The Seattle Times Company.
A paid advertisement in the newspaper's February 3, 2007, "religion and values" section, placed by the First Baptist Church of South Portland, listed the sermon as "The Only Way to Destroy the Jewish Race"; this caused outrage in Greater Portland's Jewish community, and led to an apology by the minister of that church. Two weeks later, an ad for PeoplesChoice Credit Union ran, depicting a "Fee Bandit" character that used stock photography of a Hasidic Jew to represent the character rather than the Old West banker intended for the visual representation. This incident prompted investigations by the Anti-Defamation League; Steven Wessler, director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence and the person in charge of dealing with hate crimes in the state; and the Jewish Community Alliance. The newspaper's management, as well as the credit union, later apologized for the advertisements; the newspaper said it would scrutinize ad content better in the future."Dateline World Jewry", April 2007, World Jewish Congress"Newspaper Vows Closer Scrutiny of Ad Content". Portland Press Herald.
On March 17, 2008, the Press Herald converted from its traditional multi-section format to two sections. A brief editorial highlighted advertising concerns and said the other sections could be found online. The next day, the Blethens announced that they were putting the Press Herald and its other Maine newspaper properties up for sale.Harkavy, Jerry. "Seattle Times Co. Puts Maine Newspapers Up for Sale". Associated Press, March 18, 2008. The Portland Press Herald also had three rounds of job cuts in 2008; in the third round of cuts, the newspapers' owner eliminated 36 jobs and closed the news bureaus in Augusta, Biddeford, Bath, and Washington, D.C., in response to declining newspaper ad revenue.'Portland Press Herald,' 'Maine Sunday Telegram' Cut 36 Jobs, Close News Bureaus, Editor & Publisher (June 27, 2008).
Richard Connor ownership After more than a year on the market, on June 15, 2009, the papers were sold to MaineToday Media, Inc., headed by Richard L. Connor, publisher of Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, with financing from HM Capital Partners and Citizens Bank.MaineToday Media Acquires Maine Newspapers, Online Information Portal and Related Real Estate Assets (press release), June 15, 2009. Retrieved on September 14, 2010. MaineToday also owned a variety of Maine press properties, including the Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel, and Bath's Coastal Journal, as well as mainetoday.com.Tux Turkel, Wealthy financier invests in Maine papers, Portland Press Herald (February 10, 2012).
Although MaineToday originally announced a plan to move the paper's offices out of downtown into the South Portland printing plant,"Newspaper's Downtown Buildings to Be Sold". Portland Press Herald, Page A1, July 17, 2009. it was later reported that the company's headquarters would move to One City Center in downtown Portland."Newspaper Moving to Space in One City Center." Portland Press Herald, Page A1, February 26, 2010. As part of the sale, Portland Newspaper Guild members took a 10% pay cut in exchange for 15% ownership in MaineToday Media. More than 30 non-union jobs were eliminated."New Owner: Maine Papers Poised to be Profitable". The Seattle Times, June 16, 2009.
Connor's short tenure was characterized by controversy and a rapid decline in the newspaper's financial condition. On September 11, 2010, the Press Herald reported on local Ramadan celebrations with a front-page story. Later that day, Connor insisted on apologizing to readers for his editors' decision to run that story."A note of apology to readers". The Portland Press Herald, September 11, 2010. "Many saw Saturday's front-page story and photo regarding the local observance of the end of Ramadan as offensive, particularly on the day, September 11, when our nation and the world were paying tribute to those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks nine years ago," wrote Connor.
Connor's apology attracted nationwide scorn. In Time magazine, critic James Poniewozik called Connor's behavior "craven" and "depressing for the state of journalism.""Paper to Readers: Sorry for Portraying Muslims as Human". Time Magazine, September 14, 2010. In an appearance on NPR's On the Media, Connor admitted that "some of the people who complained about the lack of 9/11 coverage were really couching anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic attitudes," but refused to retract his apology, and he eventually hung up on host Bob Garfield before the segment was over. "For Some, An Apology Offends". On The Media, September 17, 2010.
Connor demonstrated a similar lack of ability in managing the business side of the newspaper. In 2011, he eliminated 61 positions, many of which were in the newsroom, and in November of that year, a paper supplier sued the newspaper for $124,000 in unpaid bills."MaineToday Media sued for $124k by paper company". Poynter, November 4, 2011 Connor finally left the newspaper at the end of 2011 under strong pressure from the board of directors and a restructuring firm that had taken over day-to-day management.Michael R. Sisak, "Trouble for newspaper chain tied to The Times Leader". Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, November 3, 2011.
S. Donald Sussman/Maine Values LLC ownership Maine Values LLC, a company owned by wealthy businessman and philanthropist S. Donald Sussman, made a $3–4 million investment in MaineToday Media in February 2012, acquiring a 5% equity stake in the company and a seat on its board. The next month, Maine Values boosted its ownership stake in MaineToday to 75%.Sussman-owned group acquires 75 percent share of MaineToday Media, Bangor Daily News (March 27, 2012). Sussman, who lived in North Haven, Maine, therefore held a majority stake in the newspapers.
In 2013, Travelers Casualty & Surety Co. paid MaineToday Media over $500,000 under the company's employee theft insurance policy to recoup money that former publisher Richard P. Connor had allegedly stolen from the company for unauthorized personal use. Forensic audits by MaineToday and its insurers had revealed that Connor had given himself unauthorized salary increases and used company funds to pay for personal expenses, including credit card bills, dental work, an SUV, vacation home rentals, and numerous other personal expenses.Tux Turkel, Press Herald parent accuses former CEO of misusing more than $530,000, Portland Press Herald, April 24, 2013.
Reade Brower ownership In 2015, MaineToday Media was sold to Reade Brower, owner of a number of midcoast Maine newspapers and a printing operation in Brunswick, Maine.Tux Turkel, MaineToday Media sale closes, Portland Press Herald (June 1, 2015). Over a decade, Brower has consolidated six of Maine's seven daily newspapers, as well as 21 weekly newspapers, under his ownership.Casey Kelly, The man behind Maine’s unparalleled consolidation of local news, Columbia Journalism Review (September 6, 2018).
Maine Trust for Local News In July 2023, it was announced that a national nonprofit, the National Trust for Local News, would buy the Press Herald from Brower. The Press Herald, along with 4 daily and 17 weekly Maine papers owned by Brower, is part of the new Maine Trust for Local News, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Local News. In 2024, the Maine Trust for Local News implemented a centralized organizational structure across its properties. Carolyn Fox serves as the trust's first executive editor, overseeing journalists across all titles, while Scott Monroe was named the first managing editor, overseeing newsroom production, digital operations, and community editors of weekly newspapers. As of 2025, the Maine Trust operates with 363 employees across Maine.
The company is the consolidated former media companies MaineToday Media, Alliance Media Group, and Sun Media Group. Organizational details of the trust are not public.
METLN's new ownership led to a number of leadership resignations. Managing editor Nita Lelyveld left. Executive editor Steve Greenlee left the paper one year later to become a Boston University professor. Greenlee told the Poynter Institute that his resignation came at "a time of great stress." In October 2024, Greenlee was replaced by Carolyn Fox, the former managing editor of the Tampa Bay Times. In late 2024, publisher Lisa DiSisto stepped down after 12 years. Advertising executive Stefanie Manning, who co-owns a Portland diner and the Harvest on the Harbor food festival, become managing director. Manning told staff the Maine Trust for Local News lost more than $500,000 in 2024.