History - News & Record

History of the News & Record

The newspaper that you know today as the News & Record began as two smaller papers, The Daily Record and the Greensboro Daily News. Read more about the paper’s rich history below.

A paper goes to press

The Daily Record went to press on November 17, 1890. John Benson, Joseph Reece, and Harper J. Elam printed the first issue at 222 South Elm Street. It was an afternoon newspaper in a five-column format and that first issue contained four pages. The copy was written by hand, type was set by hand and the press was operated by foot. A month’s subscription cost 35 cents. The Record’s political policy was Democratic.

A few months after that first issue, John Benson sold his interest in the business to Reece and Elam. Elam sold his interest in the Record to Reece in 1901, who ran the newspaper until his death in 1915. The following year, Al Fairbrother and George Crater bought it for $15,000. Julian Price, who was responsible for building up Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company, took over ownership in 1919.

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