Michael Brooks
The Omaha World-Herald is a daily newspaper based in Omaha, Nebraska, and is the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper chain Lee Enterprises. The Omaha World-Herald covers a range of topics, including local news, obituaries, sports, and entertainment. While there is an independent newspaper in Omaha called the Omaha Catholic Voice, there is no indication that the Omaha World-Herald is specifically a Catholic newspaper.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Newspaper | Daily newspaper |
| Area Covered | Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area |
| Circulation Area | Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming |
| Editions | Morning and afternoon editions |
| Ownership | Lee Enterprises |
| Previous Owners | Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway, Omaha construction magnate Peter Kiewit, World Publishing Co. |
| Television Station | ABC affiliate KETV |
| Online Availability | Yes |
| Awards | Omaha World-Herald Reader's Choice Awards |
| Content | Local news, obituaries, sports, weather, entertainment, lifestyles, podcasts |
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What You'll Learn
Omaha World-Herald's ownership history
The Omaha World-Herald was founded in 1885 by Gilbert M. Hitchcock, a wealthy lawyer, and four business partners. Hitchcock merged his paper, the Omaha Daily World, with its competitor the morning Herald, to create the Omaha World-Herald. The paper was owned by Hitchcock and his family until 1962 when Omaha construction magnate Peter Kiewit bought the paper for $40 million to prevent it from being sold to an out-of-town competitor.
After Kiewit's death in 1979, ownership of the Omaha World-Herald was divided, with 80% going to non-union employee-stockholders and the remaining 20% to the Peter Kiewit Foundation. Kiewit had arranged this in his will to ensure that the paper remained locally owned. In 2011, Omaha native Warren Buffett purchased the paper for $200 million through his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, once again ensuring local ownership.
Under Berkshire Hathaway ownership, the Omaha World-Herald purchased several other newspapers, including the Waco Tribune and the Bryan-College Station Eagle, both in Texas, for an undisclosed price. In 2012, the company also acquired all of the assets of the Media General company, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Tulsa World, for $142 million in cash. The Omaha World-Herald was sold to the newspaper chain Lee Enterprises in 2020, ending its local ownership.
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Omaha World-Herald's circulation
The Omaha World-Herald is a daily newspaper based in the midwestern United States. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper chain Lee Enterprises. Omaha World-Herald is the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was the largest employee-owned newspaper in the United States from 1979 until 2011. Omaha construction magnate Peter Kiewit bought the newspaper and its television station, the local ABC affiliate, in 1962 for $40.1 million.
Upon Kiewit's death in 1979, he arranged for the paper to be spun off to its employees. At the time, the Omaha World-Herald reported a daily circulation of 235,589 and a Sunday circulation of 301,682. The foundation's hold of 20% of the company's shares kept the newspaper from being easily sold to an out-of-town competitor. In 2011, Omaha native Warren Buffett purchased the paper for $200 million through his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway. The newspaper's stock had clocked a compound annual growth rate of 18% from 1985 through 2007, but the 2008 financial crisis affected it financially.
By the time of the sale to Buffett, circulation had fallen to 170,455 daily and 228,344 on Sundays. Buffett's BH Media Group was unable to turn around the fall in circulation and advertising revenue, and he eventually sold the World-Herald and its other newspapers to Lee Enterprises for $140 million in cash in January 2020. For more than a century, the Omaha World-Herald circulated daily throughout Nebraska, Iowa, and parts of Kansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Colorado, and Wyoming. During the 2008 financial crisis, the newspaper retrenched, ending far-flung circulation and restricting daily delivery to an area in Nebraska and Iowa within a 100-mile radius of Omaha.
The Omaha World-Herald was the world's last newspaper to print both daily morning and afternoon editions, a practice it ended in March 2016. The presses can produce 75,000 newspapers per hour, and the John Gottschalk Freedom Center produces four editions of the Omaha World-Herald daily, in addition to a Sunday edition. The Omaha World-Herald also offers digital-only subscriptions.
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Omaha World-Herald's financial crisis
The Omaha World-Herald, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, has a long history dating back to its founding in 1885. The paper changed hands in 2020, when it was sold by its previous local owner, Warren Buffett, to Lee Enterprises, marking the end of its local ownership. This sale occurred in the context of a financial crisis faced by both Omaha World-Herald and Lee Enterprises.
Omaha World-Herald's financial troubles began during the 2008 financial crisis, which affected its circulation and financial health. The newspaper was forced to retrench, ending its far-flung circulation and restricting daily delivery to a smaller area within Nebraska and Iowa. Despite this setback, Omaha World-Herald remained a significant newspaper, circulating daily throughout Nebraska and parts of neighbouring states.
In 2011, Omaha native Warren Buffett, through his holding company Berkshire Hathaway, purchased the paper for $200 million. At the time, employees were reportedly ready to cash out, and the newspaper's circulation had fallen to 170,455 daily and 228,344 on Sundays. Buffett's BH Media Group struggled to turn around the decline in circulation and advertising revenue.
The financial woes continued, and in 2020, Buffett sold Omaha World-Herald and several other local newspapers to Lee Enterprises for $140 million. This sale was part of a larger trend towards consolidation in the newspaper industry. However, the new ownership under Lee Enterprises has been marked by significant staff cuts and concerns about the company's financial stability. Lee Enterprises has slashed the staff by 75% in 6.5 years, with the most recent round of layoffs reducing the newsroom to about 28 total staffers. These cuts have been described as "torturous" and have left a gap in news coverage in Omaha and across the state.
The financial crisis at Omaha World-Herald and its subsequent sale to Lee Enterprises have raised questions about the future of local news and the impact of corporate ownership on journalism. With the newspaper's staff reduced to historically low levels, there are concerns about its ability to adequately serve the news needs of the Omaha community.
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Omaha World-Herald's expansion
The Omaha World-Herald is a daily newspaper based in the midwestern United States. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper chain Lee Enterprises.
For over a century, the Omaha World-Herald circulated throughout Nebraska, Iowa, and parts of Kansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Colorado, and Wyoming. However, during the 2008 financial crisis, the newspaper retrenched, restricting its daily delivery to an area within a 100-mile radius of Omaha.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the Omaha World-Herald Company expanded significantly beyond its sole newspaper. In 1990, it purchased the Brookings Register and Huron Plainsman in South Dakota. Over the next few years, it added the Carlsbad Current-Argus in New Mexico, The Record in Stockton, California, and the Ames Tribune in Iowa to its portfolio. The company also diversified its interests by acquiring a partial stake in Election Systems and Software, the world's largest elections equipment maker and election operations servicing company.
In 1999, the Omaha World-Herald Company sold its share in Election Systems and Software. In 2004, it also divested The Record, selling it to Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, for $144 million. Despite these sales, the company continued to play an active role in the media landscape, with its holdings including several weekly newspapers in the Omaha area, such as the Bellevue Leader, Papillion Times, Gretna Breeze, and Ralston Recorder.
In 2020, the Omaha World-Herald underwent another significant change when it was sold to Lee Enterprises by Warren Buffett, the chairman of Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway. This sale marked the end of local ownership for the newspaper, which had been employee-owned from 1979 until 2011, when Omaha native Warren Buffett purchased it for $200 million.
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Omaha World-Herald's content
The Omaha World-Herald is a daily newspaper based in Omaha, Nebraska, in the midwestern United States. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper chain Lee Enterprises. The Omaha World-Herald is the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and it previously circulated throughout Nebraska, Iowa, and parts of several neighbouring states.
The newspaper has a long history, with archives dating back to at least 1893. It was the largest employee-owned newspaper in the United States from 1979 until 2011, when Omaha native Warren Buffett purchased it for $200 million through his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway. However, Buffett's BH Media Group was unable to stem the decline in circulation and advertising revenue, and the newspaper changed hands again in 2020.
Today, the Omaha World-Herald covers a range of topics, including local news, obituaries, sports, weather, entertainment, and lifestyles. It also provides information on local events and offers a digital edition that can be delivered directly to subscribers' inboxes. In addition, the newspaper recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations through initiatives like the Reader's Choice Awards.
The Omaha World-Herald has expanded beyond its sole newspaper over the years. In the 1980s and 1990s, it acquired several other newspapers across the United States, including the Brookings Register and Huron Plainsman in South Dakota, the Carlsbad Current-Argus in New Mexico, and The Record in Stockton, California. However, some of these acquisitions were later sold, such as The Record, which was sold to Dow Jones in 2004.
While I cannot confirm if the Omaha World-Herald is specifically a Catholic newspaper, it is one of the many independent local papers in the Omaha metro area, which also include the Omaha Catholic Voice, among others.
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Frequently asked questions
No, it is not. The Omaha World-Herald is a daily newspaper based in Omaha, Nebraska, and is the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area.
The Omaha World-Herald was circulated throughout Nebraska, Iowa, and parts of Kansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Colorado, and Wyoming. However, following the 2008 financial crisis, the newspaper retrenched and now serves only Nebraska and Iowa.
The Omaha World-Herald was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper chain Lee Enterprises. It was previously owned by Omaha construction magnate Peter Kiewit and, following his death in 1979, it became the largest employee-owned newspaper in the United States.
The Omaha World-Herald publishes a range of content, including local and national news, obituaries, sports, weather, entertainment, and lifestyle pieces.
