Oakland Tribune

The Oakland Tribune was a daily newspaper that shared stories and news with people living in Oakland, California from 1874 until 2016. It helped people learn about what was happening in their city and the world.

In 2016, the Oakland Tribune was combined with other local papers by its owner, the Bay Area News Group, to form the East Bay Times. Even after this change, the name of the Oakland Tribune was still used. Each Friday, a special section with the old Oakland Tribune name appears in the new newspaper, keeping its history alive for readers.

History

On February 21, 1874, the Oakland Daily Tribune was started by editor George Staniford and printer Benet "Ben" A. Dewes. It was new and different from the Oakland News and Oakland Transcript. The first editorial said there was space for a new newspaper in Oakland.

In July 1876, Dewes sold the Oakland Daily Evening Tribune to William E. Dargie, a former student of California State University. Dargie added news from the Associated Press and new features like a book and job department. By 1906, the Tribune had a Sunday edition.

The Tribune printed extra editions when San Francisco newspapers were destroyed in the earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906. After that, the mayor of San Francisco said the Oakland Tribune was the official San Francisco newspaper.

In 1911, Joseph R. Knowland bought the Oakland Tribune after serving in the United States House of Representatives. He moved the paper and helped it become important in California politics. Knowland’s family ran the paper for many years.

In 1977, the Knowland family sold the Oakland Tribune to Combined Communications Corporation, which later merged with Gannett. In 1983, the paper was sold again to Robert C. Maynard and his wife Nancy Hicks Maynard.

Finally, in 2016, the Oakland Tribune published its last daily edition. It was combined with other East Bay newspapers to form the new East Bay Times. The old Tribune name is still used as a weekly community supplement every Friday.

Pulitzer Prizes

The Oakland Tribune won a Pulitzer Prize for a photo of a small plane almost hitting a B-29 Superfortress in 1950. It also won another prize for photos taken after the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989.