The Tampa Tribune

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 Tribune also operated Highlands Today, a daily newspaper in Sebring.

On May 3, 2016, the Tampa Bay Times announced that it had acquired the Tribune, and was combining the Times and Tribune's operations, ending publication of the Tribune.

History

The Tampa Tribune began daily publication in 1895 when Wallace Stovall started printing more often. In 1927, John Stewart Bryan from Virginia and his partner Samuel Emory Thomason bought the paper.

The company grew to include several newspapers, websites, and radio and TV stations like WFLA radio and WFLA-TV. In 1966, Richmond Newspapers purchased the Tampa Tribune and later became Media General. The paper stayed with Media General until 2012 when it was sold to Tampa Media Group, Inc.

Finally, in 2016, the Tampa Bay Times bought the Tribune and combined their operations. The Tampa Tribune stopped being a separate newspaper and became a part of the Tampa Bay Times.

Tampa Daily Times trademark

In 1958, the Tribune bought Tampa's evening newspaper, the Tampa Daily Times. The Tribune published this paper as The Tampa Times until 1982. After that, the Tribune kept showing the Tampa Times logo on its front page until it closed down. This helped the Tribune keep its trademark on the Tampa Times name and avoid confusion with the St. Petersburg Times, which also published a Tampa edition.

In 2006, a lawsuit decided that the Tribune could only use the Tampa Times name exclusively for five years. This exclusivity ended in 2011, allowing the St. Petersburg Times to change its name to the Tampa Bay Times on January 1, 2012. The Tribune could still use the The Tampa Times name after this date.

Awards

The Tampa Tribune received a special award called the Pulitzer Prize in 1966 for its great work in reporting. A reporter named John Anthony Frasca was recognized for his careful investigation into two robberies. His work helped prove that an innocent person had been blamed, and that person was later freed.