Times Leader
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Civitas Media |
| Editor | Tim Farkas |
| Founded | 1879 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 15 N. Main Street Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18711 United States |
| ISSN | 0199-0519 |
| Website | timesleader |
The Times Leader is a privately owned newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1879, it was locally owned until being purchased by Capital Cities in 1978. The Times Leader, a morning broadsheet, is currently in a circulation battle with another Wilkes-Barre daily newspaper, The Citizens' Voice.
On November 27, 1907, the Wilkes-Barre Times printed a notice that it and the Wilkes-Barre Leader, both afternoon dailies, would merge, creating The Times Leader with the first newspaper to be dated Monday December 2, 1907.
The Times Leader, in the heart of coal country, was subject to a very bitter strike that began October 6, 1978. Over 200 union employees walked off the job in defiance of what they viewed as union busting tactics by the Times Leader's new corporate owner, Capital Cities. The four striking newspaper unions began to publish the Citizens' Voice as a strike paper.
Eventually the four unions were decertified. The Voice continued publication. This in turn prompted competition and created the unusual environment where Wilkes-Barre, with its population of a little more than 43,000, now has two competing dailies. The Times Leader was steadily returned to its position of prominence as the leading daily in Luzerne County, both in editorial quality and paid circulation. After the strike began, Capital Cities persuaded a young, dynamic editor, Richard L. Connor, to become publisher. During his eight years running the newspaper, Connor and his staff dominated the state's newspapers with awards for writing,reporting, and photography. The paper also became among the most prominent corporate citizens.
The Times Leader became known around the country as a growth platform for young journalists, photographers, and newspaper executives. Connor moved on to restore the Fort Worth Star Telegram to strength as the Texas economy faltered in the mid-80s. His successor as publisher, Dale A. Duncan, became publisher of the Pontiac, Michigan, Oakland Press, and then publisher of the Indianapolis Star. Duncan was followed by Mark Contreas who worked in several executive capacities with the Pulitzer Company before become head of the newspaper division for Scripps.
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