The Death of a Newspaper Town
After years of consolidation, fierce competition, and economic struggle, the local Independent-Record falls to the bank.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Independent-Record was sold at sheriff’s sale Saturday morning at 10 o’clock to satisfy a mortgage held by the Prosser State Bank. There was only one bid, the bank taking it in for the face of the mortgage and accrued interest. There were also two years’ back taxes which must be paid by the purchaser. The total amount was something over $4,300. The Independent-Record was the result of a consolidation of the Prosser Record and the Benton Independent made two years ago. The town was not large enough to support three papers, and ultimately, even with two, general business conditions became worse. Owners made a valiant fight, but were carrying too heavy a load and succumbed to the inevitable.
“With two papers already in the field the venture simply meant an elimination as the town was not large enough to support three papers.”
The death of the Independent-Record highlights a recurring struggle in local news: as economic conditions tighten, independent journalism becomes increasingly fragile against consolidation and debt. The 'newspaper desert' phenomenon is not new; Kennewick and neighboring communities have long grappled with the economics of sustaining a local press.
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