Industry News

(Industry news as reported in Texas Newspapers and published in the December edition of the Texas Press Messenger.)

Beaumont Enterprise marks 145th anniversary

BEAUMONT – The Beaumont Enterprise has marked 145 years of publishing under the current name.

A history complied by staff writer Megan Zapalac and published on the Nov. 7 anniversary date included these milestones:

• The newspaper’s earliest predecessor, the Beaumont Banner, was founded by A.N. Vaughn in 1860. Subsequent papers came and went as the small settlement on the Neches grew, until John William Leonard published the first paper under the Enterprise name on Nov. 7, 1880.

• The Beaumont Journal became a competitor in 1889 to advocate for the interests of lumber companies, but The Enterprise Co. bought the Journal and its assets in 1921. At the time, the two papers served Texas and Louisiana, extending from the Trinity River on the west to the Red River on the east, and from the Redlands on the north to the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Historical Marker Database.

• In 1931, James L. and Kathryn Smythe Mapes, both Alabama natives, acquired the Enterprise. James was president of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, and when he died in 1936, he willed stock to key employees. His wife Kathryn then took over the business after his death, serving as president. When she died in 1948, she left the majority stock in trust to her grandnephew, Robert E. Myers.

• The Beaumont Journal printed its last edition in 1983.

The Enterprise currently employs around 24 people. Regional Circulations Director Paul Banister said the Enterprise’s longevity shows its commitment to the community.

“I think it speaks to the people who have been a part of the paper,” Banister said. “This incredibly talented group has helped the newspaper evolve during the past 145 years.”

Banister said the newspaper industry has seen many advancements and changes in the Enterprise’s time, including phones being readily available and the introduction of AI. Through it all, the Enterprise has aimed to keep the public informed.

“I believe we have served our readers during the past 145 years, bringing them the news, the features, weather and sports that are a part of our community,” Banister said. “We work to hold our elected officials accountable and do our best to tell the stories that impact all of our lives.”

Post-Signal archives preserved in UNT Digital Newspaper project

PILOT POINT – Post-Signal newspaper archives from 1967 to 2015 will be preserved as part of the University of North Texas Digital Newspaper project.

Pilot Point Community Library Director Jenna Glass got the news about the Ladd and Katherine Hancher Library Foundation grant of $20,000 in late October.

The grant will cover 100% of the project, which is estimated to be done in March.

“It’s fantastic that the organization is willing to fund grants like this,” Post-Signal Editor and Publisher Abigail Bardwell said.

Glass worked with Abigail Bardwell as well as the Digital Newspaper Program Director Ana Krahmer to submit the grant paperwork.

Bardwell and Krahmer first discussed the ability to back up the archives of the paper digitally in January of 2020, when they met at the Texas Press Association convention in Galveston. More than five years later, it’s becoming a reality thanks to Glass’ efforts.

Through the UNT Digital Newspaper project, local readers, researchers and genealogists will have access to the searchable, digital archives of the Post-Signal along with many other Texas newspapers.

Daily Light switches to digital press, redesigns pages 

WAXAHACHIE – The Daily Light has switched to digital printing, delivering a redesigned newspaper to subscribers.

The newspaper reported that digital printing reduces waste and makes print runs more efficient. There are no printing plates in the process.