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Hearst Communications

From Alfawiki
Hearst Corporation
Company typePrivate
IndustryMass media, business information
Founded1887
FounderWilliam Randolph Hearst
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Hearst family (owners and management)
ProductsNewspapers (San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle), magazines (Cosmopolitan, Esquire), television (A&E Networks, ESPN), business information (Fitch Group, First Databank)
OwnerHearst family

Hearst Corporation, along with its affiliates Hearst Holdings Inc. and Hearst Communications Inc., constitutes a major American multinational conglomerate specializing in mass media and business information. The enterprise is owned by the Hearst family and is headquartered in Hearst Tower, located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

The company's assets encompass leading newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle and Houston Chronicle, as well as prominent magazines including Cosmopolitan and Esquire. Hearst also holds significant television interests, owning half of the A&E Global Media cable network group and a 20% share in ESPN Inc., the sports broadcasting branch of the Walt Disney Company.

Additionally, the conglomerate manages important business information divisions like Fitch Group and First Databank. Established by media pioneer William Randolph Hearst, who was instrumental in developing yellow journalism, the company remains under family ownership with ongoing involvement in its management.

Early Development

The origins of Hearst trace back to 1880 when mining magnate and U.S. senator George Hearst purchased the San Francisco Daily Examiner. Seven years later, in 1887, he transferred ownership to his son, William Randolph Hearst, who formally founded the Hearst Corporation that same year. Under William Randolph Hearst's guidance, the enterprise grew its newspaper and magazine circulation from 15,000 readers to more than 20 million. Key acquisitions and launches during this period included the New York Journal in 1895 and the Los Angeles Examiner in 1903.

The company's magazine division began with the introduction of Motor magazine in 1903. Subsequent expansions involved acquiring titles such as Cosmopolitan in 1905 and Good Housekeeping in 1911. Hearst ventured into book publishing in 1913 with Hearst's International Library, which was rebranded as Cosmopolitan Book in 1919. Midway through the 1910s, the firm diversified into film production through its International Film Service, recognized as one of the earliest animation studios.

Hearst further broadened its newspaper holdings by purchasing the Atlanta Georgian in 1912; the San Francisco Call and San Francisco Post in 1913; the Boston Advertiser and Washington Times in 1917; and finally, the Chicago Herald in 1918, which subsequently merged into the Herald-Examiner. These strategic acquisitions significantly enhanced Hearst's presence across major American urban markets, solidifying its leadership position within print media.

Peak period

During the 1920s and 1930s, Hearst managed the largest media empire globally, which included a vast array of magazines and newspapers across key American cities. His expansion extended beyond print media as he also acquired radio stations to complement his publishing ventures. Despite financial pressures caused by investments in Hearst Castle and Cosmopolitan Productions, Hearst consolidated his operations in 1925 by merging Hearst International with Cosmopolitan.

Hearst’s aggressive acquisition strategy began in 1921 with purchases such as the Detroit Times, The Boston Record, and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. By 1922, his holdings expanded to include the Los Angeles Herald, Washington Herald, Oakland Post-Enquirer, Syracuse Telegram, and Rochester Journal-American. Additional newspapers acquired were the Baltimore News (1923), San Antonio Light (1924), Albany Times Union (1924), and The Milwaukee Sentinel (1924). In a strategic move to enter New York’s competitive tabloid market, Hearst launched the New York Daily Mirror in 1924.

In addition to print and radio, Hearst established Cosmopolitan Pictures in the early 1920s, distributing films via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. By 1929, he collaborated with MGM to form Hearst Metrotone newsreels, broadening his media reach into cinematic news content.

Retrenchment following the Great Depression

The onset of the Great Depression dealt a severe blow to Hearst’s media holdings. In 1931, he sold Cosmopolitan Book to Farrar & Rinehart. After leasing several papers to Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson, Hearst divested her ownership of The Washington Times and Herald in 1939; Patterson then combined them into the Washington Times-Herald. That same year, Hearst acquired the Milwaukee Sentinel and merged it with the afternoon publication, the Wisconsin News. He also sold the Atlanta Georgian to Cox Newspapers, which merged it with the Atlanta Journal.

Following Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hearst’s newspapers offered favorable coverage of the Nazi regime, which paid premium fees for access to his INS wire service. He instructed correspondents stationed in Germany to portray Hitler positively and dismissed those who opposed this editorial stance. Prominent Nazi officials, including Hermann Göring and Alfred Rosenberg, contributed articles to Hearst’s publications.

After entering liquidation in 1937, control of Hearst’s newspaper chain shifted to creditors, necessitating consolidation of morning and evening editions. In Chicago, for example, the morning Herald-Examiner merged with the afternoon American in 1939 to form the Herald-American. Comparable mergers occurred in New York and Omaha.

Prior to television’s rise, afternoon newspapers thrived by providing up-to-date sports scores and market reports. However, post-World War II suburbanization and television's popularity caused a decline in evening paper readership, while morning editions maintained steady circulation.

In 1947, Hearst debuted an early television news program titled I.N.S. Telenews on the DuMont Television Network, followed by acquiring one of Baltimore’s first TV stations, WBAL-TV, in 1948.

Profitable morning titles such as the San Francisco Examiner, Los Angeles Examiner, and The Milwaukee Sentinel subsidized less successful afternoon papers including the Los Angeles Herald-Express, New York Journal-American, and Chicago American. The Chicago paper was sold in 1956 to the Chicago Tribune, renamed as Chicago Today in 1969 before closing in 1974. Other disposals included the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph and the Detroit Times, both sold in 1960. Following labor disputes, the Milwaukee Sentinel was sold in 1962—the same year Los Angeles papers merged into the evening edition known as the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. The New York City newspaper strike of 1962–63 affected operations at the Journal-American. Additionally, Boston’s Record and Evening American combined into the Record-American (1961), while Baltimore’s News-Post became the News-American (1964).

In 1953, Hearst Magazines purchased Sports Afield, which they published until its sale in 1999. The International News Service merged with E.W. Scripps' United Press in 1958 to create United Press International, competing against agencies like Associated Press and Reuters. In 1959, Scripps-Howard's San Francisco News merged with Hearst's afternoon paper, the San Francisco Call-Bulletin, while Hearst also acquired Avon Books that year.

Starting in 1965, Hearst adopted joint operating agreements (JOAs) to streamline newspaper operations. The initial JOA partnered with San Francisco Chronicle owners for a combined Sunday edition alongside transforming the Examiner into an evening paper that absorbed the former News-Call-Bulletin. In 1966, a JOA facilitated creation of the short-lived New York World Journal Tribune from three major NYC newspapers.

The Los Angeles merger of 1962 triggered a decade-long strike beginning in 1967 that accelerated decline; ultimately, the Herald Examiner ceased publication in 1989.

Newspaper transitions

Hearst broadened its reach into hardcover book publishing by acquiring Arbor House in 1978 and William Morrow and Company in 1981. In 1982, it divested the Boston Herald American to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which rebranded it as The Boston Herald, positioning it against The Boston Globe.

In 1986, Hearst purchased the Houston Chronicle and subsequently shut down the 213-year-old Baltimore News-American after failing to negotiate a joint operating agreement with the A.S. Abell Company, publisher of The Baltimore Sun. The Abell family then sold their paper to the Tribune Company's Times-Mirror group. That same year, Hearst consolidated King Features Entertainment and King Phoenix Entertainment under the Hearst Entertainment umbrella.

Following the acquisition of the San Antonio Express-News from Murdoch in 1993, Hearst discontinued its competitor, the San Antonio Light. Earlier, on November 8, 1990, Hearst acquired a 20% stake in ESPN, Inc. from RJR Nabisco for approximately $165–175 million; Disney has held the remaining 80% since 1996. Over a span of 25 years, ESPN has accounted for at least half of Hearst’s earnings and is currently valued above $13 billion.

In April 1995, Hearst collaborated with private investors to acquire a stake in Netscape Communications. By July 1996, it had joined forces with Venezuela's Cisneros Group to introduce Locomotion, an animation channel targeting Latin America.

On March 27, 1997, Hearst merged with Argyle Television Holdings II for $525 million, creating Hearst-Argyle Television (which was renamed Hearst Television in 2009). In 1999, it divested its Avon and Morrow book publishing units to HarperCollins.

The year 2000 saw Hearst sell the afternoon San Francisco Examiner while acquiring its rival morning paper, the San Francisco Chronicle. The Examiner transitioned into a daily free publication. In December 2003, Marvel Entertainment purchased Cover Concepts from Hearst to expand its reach into public school markets.

Hearst further diversified by investing in Fitch Group in 2006, increasing its ownership stake to 80% by 2015 and achieving full ownership by 2018. In 2009, A&E Networks acquired Lifetime Entertainment Services, boosting Hearst’s share to 42%. The following year, Hearst acquired digital marketing firm iCrossing.

In 2011, Hearst enhanced its magazine portfolio by acquiring over 100 titles from Lagardère Group for $700 million, positioning itself as a formidable competitor to Time Inc. and Condé Nast. It also partnered with NBCUniversal in December 2012 to launch the Esquire Network.

On February 20, 2014, Gary Ellis was named Chief Digital Officer of Hearst Magazines International. Later that December, Hearst invested $81.25 million to acquire a 25% stake in AwesomenessTV from DreamWorks Animation.

In January 2017, Hearst secured majority ownership of Litton Entertainment (which was rebranded as Hearst Media Production Group in 2022), led by CEO Dave Morgan, a former Hearst executive. That same month, it acquired Michigan-based Pioneer Group’s operations—including daily and weekly newspapers as well as digital marketing services—expanding its newspaper holdings to 19 dailies and 61 weeklies.

Additional acquisitions during 2017 included the New Haven Register from Digital First Media and Illinois publications Telegraph and Journal-Courier from Civitas Media. In October, Hearst announced plans to purchase Rodale’s magazine and book divisions for roughly $225 million; this transaction was finalized in early 2018.

In April 2023, Hearst acquired WBBH-TV, an NBC affiliate located in Fort Myers, Florida. Subsequent acquisitions that year included Connecticut’s Journal Inquirer in June and San Antonio Magazine in October—the latter purchased for $150,000 plus most accounts receivable.

November 2023 saw the addition of RJ Media Group’s print and digital assets—comprising the Record-Journal, weekly newspapers, and a digital advertising agency. In December, Hearst expanded into gaming by acquiring puzzle platform Puzzmo.

By April 2024, Hearst had purchased Texas-based magazines Austin Monthly and Austin Home, launching the Hearst Texas Austin Media division alongside the Austin Daily newsletter. Later that year, it gained majority control of Motor Trend Group—including its flagship magazine and television network—as well as titles such as Hot Rod, Roadkill, and Automobile.

In August 2024, Hearst announced it would acquire QGenda—a healthcare workforce management software company—in a deal exceeding $2 billion. This acquisition made QGenda the sixth entity within Hearst Health following earlier purchases of MCG (2012), Homecare Homebase (2013), and MHK (2016).

In July 2025, Hearst declared plans to acquire the Dallas Morning News, further broadening its media holdings portfolio.

Chief executive officers

  • The newspaper sector was entered by George Hearst in 1880 through his acquisition of the San Francisco Daily Examiner.
  • On March 4, 1887, George Hearst passed control of the Examiner to his son, 23-year-old William Randolph Hearst, who assumed roles as editor and publisher. William Randolph Hearst passed away in 1951 at the age of 88.
  • Following William Hearst’s death in 1951, Richard E. Berlin, who had been president since 1943, took over as CEO and remained until his retirement in 1973. William Randolph Hearst Jr. later asserted that Berlin’s Alzheimer's diagnosis in the mid-1960s contributed to the unwarranted shutdown of several Hearst newspapers.
  • Between 1973 and 1975, Frank Massi, a veteran financial officer, held the position of president, managing a financial restructuring and spearheading growth efforts in the late 1970s.
  • John R. Miller served as both president and CEO from 1975 until 1979.
  • Frank Bennack was CEO and president from 1979 through 2002, then transitioned to vice chairman, resumed the CEO role from 2008 to 2013, and currently acts as executive vice chairman.
  • Victor F. Ganzi led as president and CEO between 2002 and 2008.
  • Since 2012, Steven Swartz has been president and took on the CEO role starting in 2013.

Operating group heads

  • Debi Chirichella was appointed president of Hearst Magazines in 2020. David Carey, formerly head of Hearst Magazines, has served as senior vice president for public affairs and communications since 2019.
  • In 2018, Jeffrey M. Johnson became president of Hearst Newspapers following Mark Aldam’s promotion to executive vice president and COO of Hearst Corporation.
  • Michael J. Hayes succeeded Jordan Wertlieb as president of Hearst Television in 2023 after Wertlieb advanced to COO.
  • Since 2014, Greg Dorn, MD, has led Hearst Health as president and group head, overseeing its healthcare-related operations.
  • Tom Cross assumed the presidency of Hearst Transportation in 2021.
  • Paul Taylor holds the dual roles of CEO and group head at Fitch Group.

Assets

The company’s principal holdings and investments include:

Magazines

  • Bicycling
  • Car and Driver
  • Cosmopolitan
  • Country Living
  • ELLE (United States and United Kingdom editions)
  • ELLE DECOR
  • Esquire
  • Food Network Magazine
  • Good Housekeeping
  • Harper's BAZAAR
  • HGTV Magazine
  • Hot Rod
  • House Beautiful
  • Men's Health
  • Motor Trend
  • Oprah Daily (digital format)
  • The Pioneer Woman Magazine
  • Popular Mechanics
  • Prevention
  • Redbook (digital edition)
  • Runner's World
  • Seventeen (digital edition)
  • Town & Country
  • VERANDA
  • Woman's Day
  • Women's Health
  • Hearst Books


Newspapers

(alphabetized by state and then title)

Broadcasting

  • A+E Networks (50% stake; joint venture with The Walt Disney Company)
  • ESPN, Inc. (20% stake; joint venture with Disney owning 80%)
    • CTV Specialty Television (4% stake through ESPN; joint venture with Bell Media holding 80%)
  • Hearst Television (fully owned; operates 29 local television stations and three radio stations)
  • Hearst Media Production Group (wholly owned; distributes educational content to major broadcast networks)
  • Motor Trend (completely owned)

Internet

  • BestProducts.com
  • Clevver
  • Delish.com
  • Digital Spy
  • NetDoctor
  • Puzzmo

Other

  • Black Book (National Auto Research)
  • CAMP Systems (aircraft maintenance tracking solutions)
  • CDS Global
  • First Databank
  • Fitch Group
  • Homecare Homebase
  • iCrossing
  • Jumpstart Automotive Group
  • King Features Syndicate
  • KUBRA
  • LocalEdge (Buffalo, New York)
  • Map of Medicine
  • MCG Health
  • ODG by Workloss Data Institute
  • Zynx Health

Trustees of William Randolph Hearst's will

A group of thirteen trustees, consisting of five family members and eight external appointees, manages the Hearst Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, and the trust that governs the 26-member board of the Hearst Corporation, which owns Hearst Communications. Changes in tax legislation have ended shared ownership arrangements for these foundations.

As of 2009, this governance model positioned Hearst among the largest privately held companies administered by trustees. The current board includes senior executives responsible for guiding corporate strategy and governance.

Family members

  • Anissa Boudjakdji Balson, granddaughter of David Whitmire Hearst Sr., the fifth son
  • Lisa Hearst Hagerman, granddaughter of John Randolph Hearst Sr., the third son
  • George Randolph Hearst III, grandson of George Randolph Hearst Sr., the eldest son, and publisher of the Albany Times Union
  • William Randolph Hearst III, son of William Randolph Hearst Jr., the second son, and chairman of the board
  • Virginia Hearst Randt, daughter of Randolph Apperson Hearst, the late former chairman and fourth son

Non-family members

  • James M. Asher, chief legal and development officer
  • David J. Barrett, former CEO of Hearst Television, Inc.
  • Frank A. Bennack Jr., past CEO and executive vice chairman
  • John G. Conomikes, predecessor to Barrett at Hearst-Argyle Television
  • Gilbert C. Maurer, former COO and president of Hearst Magazines (deceased 2025)
  • Mark F. Miller, former executive vice president at Hearst Magazines
  • Mitchell Scherzer, executive vice president and CFO
  • Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO

The trust is set to dissolve upon the passing of all family members who were alive at William Randolph Hearst’s death in August 1951.

See also

Further reading

  • Carlisle, Rodney. "The Foreign Policy Views of an Isolationist Press Lord: WR Hearst and the International Crisis, 1936–41." Journal of Contemporary History 9.3 (1974): 217–227.
  • Nasaw, David. The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst. (2000). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
  • Pizzitola, Louis. Hearst over Hollywood: power, passion, and propaganda in the movies (Columbia UP, 2002).
  • Procter, Ben H. William Randolph Hearst: Final Edition, 1911–1951. (Oxford UP 2007).
  • Whyte, Kenneth. The uncrowned king: The sensational rise of William Randolph Hearst (2009).

External links

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