The Tampa Tribune was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing Tampa Bay Times, the Tampa Tribune was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area.
The newspaper also published a St. Petersburg Tribune edition, sold and distributed in Pinellas County. It published a Sunday magazine, Florida Accent, during the 1960s and 1970s. The Tampa Tribune also operated Highlands Today, a daily newspaper in Sebring. The Tribune stopped publishing the Hernando Today, which was located in Brooksville, on December 1, 2014, citing "a tough newspaper advertising climate."
On May 3, 2016, the Tampa Bay Times announced that it had acquired the Tribune, and was combining the Times and Tribunes operations, ending publication of the Tribune.
History
Daily publication of the Tribune started in 1895 when Wallace Stovall upgraded printing from once a week.
In 1927, newspaper mogul John Stewart Bryan, of Virginia, and his business partner Samuel Emory Thomason, previously a vice-president with the Chicago Tribune, purchased The Tampa Tribune for $900,000.
The Tampa Tribune Publishing company grew to include the Tampa Tribune, the Tampa Times, TBO.com, TampaBayOnline.com, WFLA radio, and WFLA-TV. No reason was given as to why Media General was retaining the Tribune, but there was speculation that the paper would be sold to another party, such as Halifax Media Group (which owns several papers in Florida) or a completely different owner, or that the paper would merge with the Tampa Bay Times. In October 2012, The Tampa Tribune and its associated print and digital products were acquired by Tampa Media Group, Inc., a new company formed by Revolution Capital Group.
On May 3, 2016, the Tampa Bay Times announced that it had acquired the Tribune, and was combining the Times and Tribunes operations, ending publication of the Tribune. The decision did not restrict the use of The Tampa Times name by the Tribune after the expiration of exclusivity.
Awards
The Tampa Tribune won a Pulitzer Prize in 1966 for local investigative specialized reporting. The award went to John Anthony Frasca for his "investigation and reporting of two robberies that resulted in the freeing of an innocent man."
See also
- List of newspapers in Florida