Freedom

This profile considers the Freedom Communications group.

It covers -

  • introduction
  • activities
  • holdings
  • studies
  • landmarks

Introduction

Freedom Communications, based in Irvine (California) was established by the Hoiles family and at times makes the Copley Press look like a bunch of socialists. It publishes 28 daily and 37 weekly newspapers with a combined daily circulation of over 1.2 million people. Its broadcast division includes eight television stations - five CBS and three ABC network affiliates.

Freedom's corporate site is here.

Activities

Freedom was founded by Raymond Cyrus Hoiles (1878-1970), who took part in the 1930s hegira from Ohio to the groves of Orange County, California. Hoiles was noted for a libertarianism that embraced criticicisms of public schools, churches, the police, public libraries, hospitals, the National Association of Manufacturers, the United Nations, paper money, majority rule, racial integration and of course taxation and unions. It is perhaps unsurprising that in 1957 Time characterised him as "a crabby, Bible-spouting zealot."

Ironically, given the founder's jeremiads against federal regulation, the group has expanded from newspapers - it has been the dominant publisher in Orange County - into television broadcasting.

Freedom vaunts "family" and "the Freedom Way" - "values of Integrity, Self-Responsibility, Respect for Individual Freedom, Community and Life-Long Learning" as interpreted by bien pensants such as Ayn Rand. Humility or a sense of humour apparently aren't cardinal virtues. The Hoiles heirs have been fractious since the late 1970s, with some members wanting to cash out of the company and welcoming recurrent soundings by Gannett or other chains, particularly as asset values grew and particular acquisitions or launches proved disappointing.

In late 2003 a compromise was reached, with Wall Street financiers providing capital to allow the dissidents to escape without a takeover by non-believers.

Holdings

As of 2004 Freedom's daily newspapers include -

  • East Valley Tribune - Mesa
  • Scottsdale Tribune - Scottsdale
  • Daily News-Sun - Sun City
  • The Sun - Yuma
  • The Orange County Register
  • Desert Dispatch - Barstow
  • Appeal-Democrat - Marysville
  • Porterville Recorder - Porterville
  • Daily Press - Victorville
  • The Gazette - Colorado Springs
  • Northwest Florida Daily News - Fort Walton Beach
  • The News Herald - Panama City
  • The Telegraph - Alton
  • Journal-Courier - Jacksonville
  • The Tribune - Seymour
  • The Sedalia Democrat - Sedalia
  • Clovis News Journal - Clovis
  • Portales News-Tribune - Portales
  • Times-News - Burlington
  • The Gaston Gazette - Gastonia
  • The Daily News - Jacksonville
  • The Free Press - Kinston
  • Sun Journal - New Bern
  • The Shelby Star - Shelby
  • The Lima News - Lima
  • The Brownsville Herald - Brownsville
  • Valley Morning Star - Harlingen
  • The Monitor - McAllen
  • Odessa American - Odessa

Weekly Newspapers include -

  • Ahwatukee Foothill News - Phoenix
  • La Onda - Tuscon
  • Hesperia Star
  • The Destin Log - Destin
  • The Walton Sun - Santa Rosa
  • Quay County Sun - Tucumari
  • The Havelock News - Havelock
  • The Hickory News - Hickory
  • Jones Post - Trenton
  • The Mid-Valley Town Crier - Weslaco

Television stations include -

  • WRGB-TV - Albany New York
  • KFDM-TV - Beaumont Texas
  • WTVC-TV - Chattanooga Tennessee
  • KTVL-TV - Medford Oregon
  • WLNE-TV - Providence Rhode Island
  • WPEC-TV - West Palm Beach Florida
  • WWMT-TV - Grand Rapids Michigan
  • WLAJ-TV - Lansing Michigan

Studies

There has been no major academic study of RC Hoiles, although he's the subject of sometimes uncritical encomia on libertarian web sites and newsletters.

Landmarks

This chronology is indicative only. Context is provided by the separate, more general communications and media timeline.

1878 birth of Raymond Cyrus Hoiles, later works in daily Alliance Review owned by brother Frank Hoiles

1919 R.C. & F Hoiles buy Lorain Times Herald in 1919

1921 buy Mansfield News, later dissolve their partnership with R.C. buying Lorain and Mansfield titles

1927 buys Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum

1930 sells Lorain and Mansfield titles to Brush-Moore after bomb threats, discovers Ayn Rand

1935 moves to Santa Ana (Orange County)

1935 buys The Santa Ana Register

1935 buys Clovis News Journal

1936 buys Pampa (Texas) Daily News

1946 buys Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph

1946 buys Appeal Democrat in Marysville, California

1948 buys Odessa American in Texas

1950 establishes Freedom Newspapers, Inc

1951 buys Brownsville Herald, the McAllen Monitor and Harlingen Valley Morning Star for US$2m

1955 Santa Ana Register becomes The Register

1970 death of RC Hoiles

1980 Freedom buys Delta Democrat-Times for US$20m

1981 death of Clarence Harrison Hoiles

1985 The Register becomes Orange County Register

1993 establishment of Freedom Magazine Division

1995 sells Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum to Thomson

1996 buys WPEC-TV West Palm Beach, WWMT-TV Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo and WLAJ-TV Lansing

1996 buys newspapers in Shelby, Sedalia, Jacksonville, Barstow, and Portales

1997 takes 50% stake in Mode magazine

1998 launches Girl, Egg, Pacific Coast Trade and Knowledge Management magazines

1999 buys newspapers in Mesa and Yuma

1999 sells World Trade magazine

1999 P.O.V magazine ceases

2000 swaps Ft Pierce Tribune for Scripps' Destin Log and Walton Log

2001 Mode magazine closes

2003 Blackstone Group and Providence Equity Partners take stake in Freedom

2004 Freedom sells Delta Democrat-Times