Sengstacke Enterprises
| File:Real Times logo.png | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 2003 |
| Headquarters | Buhl Building, Suite 1300, 535 Griswold Street, Detroit, Michigan 48226, United States |
Area served | Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Pittsburgh metro areas |
| Products | Weekly newspapers and publications serving the African-American community |
| Website | RealTimesMedia.com |
Real Times Media LLC is the publisher and owner of the Chicago Defender, recognized as the largest and most prominent African American weekly newspaper, along with five additional regional weeklies distributed across the eastern and midwestern United States. The company’s main office is situated in Midtown Detroit.
Established in January 2003 by business leaders from Chicago and Detroit, Real Times acquired the assets previously held by Sengstacke Enterprises Inc., which had managed five of these newspapers.
Sengstacke Enterprises
The Chicago Defender was founded in 1905 by Robert Sengstacke Abbott, who developed it into a vital voice for Chicago’s African-American population and played a significant role in promoting the Great Migration. When Abbott’s nephew, publisher John H. Sengstacke, assumed control in 1940, the publication became a charter member of the National Negro Publishers Association (currently known as the National Newspaper Publishers Association), representing over 200 black newspapers.
On February 6, 1956, the Defender shifted to a daily publication under the name Chicago Daily Defender, becoming the second black daily newspaper in the country. It maintained this daily schedule until 2003, when Real Times reverted it back to a weekly edition.
Sengstacke expanded his media portfolio into a chain named Sengstacke Enterprises Inc. (SEI), which included the Michigan Chronicle (established 1936), the Tri-State Defender (originating from a Memphis bureau established in 1951), and the New Pittsburgh Courier (acquired in 1965). Following Sengstacke’s passing in 1997, SEI was held within a family trust until its $12 million acquisition by Real Times in 2003, led by investors connected to Sengstacke’s heritage.
Real Times
After Sengstacke’s death and a six-year period spent seeking buyers, longtime publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, Sam Logan, departed in 2000 to create a rival weekly titled The Michigan FrontPage. Logan later became an investor in Real Times, which published FrontPage alongside the four titles inherited from Sengstacke.
In 2012, Real Times merged with the Atlanta Daily World, with its publisher emphasizing improved multimedia capabilities and describing it as "a new beginning for the paper."
In June 2024, William Pickard, an influential entrepreneur and co-owner of Real Times Media, passed away.
Corporate affairs
Real Times Media’s main office is situated in Midtown Detroit. The company’s previous headquarters were located first in the Globe Tobacco Building and subsequently in the Buhl Building, both found in Downtown Detroit.
Holdings
Real Times Media manages the publication of seven newspapers serving five principal markets:
- Atlanta Daily World based in Atlanta, Georgia
- Chicago Defender located in Chicago, Illinois
- Michigan Chronicle and The Michigan FrontPage both published in Detroit, Michigan
- New Pittsburgh Courier from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine/ATM also headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
Additionally, the company runs RTM Digital Studios, which focuses on video production, and preserves a significant collection of African-American historical archives.
In 2009, Real Times broadened its offerings by acquiring Who's Who Publishing Company of Columbus, Ohio, a publisher known for producing biographical directories and networking resources for African American professionals across 25 U.S. metropolitan areas.