The ''Centre Daily Times'' is a daily newspaper located in
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...
. It is the hometown newspaper for State College and the
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
, with more than 45,000 students attending the
main campus.
History
The newspaper was founded on May 12, 1898, as the weekly ''State College Times''.
In 1901, the paper changed ownership and The Times Printing & Publishing Company was formed. Two years later, the company name was changed to Nittany Printing & Publishing.
The Aikens family, led by Dr. Charles T. Aikens, acquired the paper in 1914. Charles' son, Claude G. Aikens, became publisher five years later. Under his leadership, circulation continued to grow and the paper became a daily in 1934. At that time, the publication took on its current ''Centre Daily Times'' name. In 1966, Claude's son Charles T. Aikens II took over as publisher. In 1973, the newspaper's headquarters and production facilities were moved from downtown State College to a new location on
East College Avenue.
The paper was sold to
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. It was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, allowing the latter to become the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States at the time ...
in 1979. Under Knight Ridder, a Saturday morning edition was added in 1980 and a Sunday edition was launched in 1982. The ''Centre Daily Times'' became a morning paper in 1986.
The McClatchy Company purchased Knight Ridder in 2006, thereby acquiring the ''Centre Daily Times''. In 2019, the Saturday print edition was eliminated. On February 13, 2020, The McClatchy Company and 54 affiliated companies filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wh ...
in the
. The company cited pension obligations and excessive debt as the primary reasons for the filing.
In 2021, the newspaper announced plans to sell its facility on East College Avenue and move to a new location. In 2023, the delivery day and content of Sunday print editions were shifted to Saturdays. Although the Sunday print edition was eliminated, the paper continued to offer new digital content (eEditions) seven days a week. In June 2023, the paper eliminated carrier delivery of the print edition and started sending newspapers to subscribers through the
mail
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...
.
In April 2024, the newspaper announced it will decrease the number of print editions to two a week published on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Circulation area
Home delivery is available to all of
Centre County and parts of
Blair,
Clearfield,
Clinton,
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...
and
Mifflin counties. In addition, single copy sales reach several more counties, especially during college football season.
Major awards
*
Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association 2016 Keystone Press Awards winner as the best newspaper in its circulation division. Won 12 individual awards including first-place finishes in four categories.
*Named to annual list of 10 newspapers to watch by
Editor & Publisher.
References
External links
*
Electronic E-Edition(archived)
Official mobile website(archived)
(archived)
{{Newspapers published in Pennsylvania
Centre County, Pennsylvania
State College, Pennsylvania
Daily newspapers published in Pennsylvania
McClatchy publications
Knight Ridder
Newspapers established in 1898
1898 establishments in Pennsylvania