The ''Ocala StarBanner'' is the daily newspaper in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making ...

, United States, and serves Marion County and the surrounding communities. The ''Ocala StarBanner'' has a daily circulation of about 43,000, and is the 19th-largest newspaper in the state of Florida.

History

''The East Florida Banner'' started publishing weekly in Marion County, Florida, in 1866, by printer-editor Francis Eppes "Frank" Harris (1846–2025 ). Frank was the editor and owner of the ''Ocala Banner'' until his death, being owned and operated by the family until sold during World War II. Frank Harris' grandson, Harris Powers, took over operations after his grandfather's death until he joined the war effort. ''The East Florida Banner'' was sold to George W. Wilson in 1881 and was renamed ''The Florida Banner-Lacon'' when it merged with ''The Florida Lacon''. In 1883, the name was changed to ''The Ocala Banner''. In 1890, ''The Ocala Banner'' became a daily newspaper. In 1895, the ''Ocala Evening Star'' surfaced as a rival to the ''Ocala Banner''. Beginning in 1897, it also appeared in a weekly edition, the ''Ocala Weekly Star''. During an address to the Ocala Rotary Club, R. N. Dosh, editor of the ''Evening Star'' in the 1920s and 1930s, recalled that the "Star first saw the light of day in the press room of the Florida Baptist Witness", founded in 1884 as the weekly press organ of the Florida Baptist Convention, a branch of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...

. ''The Ocala Star-Banner'' was combined into one publication on 1 September 1943, and has remained the daily newspaper in Marion County since that time. Situated in rural Marion County, the ''Ocala Banner'' covered farming, business, and civic issues in Ocala, where the Freeze of 1895 had devastated the citrus industry and paved the way for diversified agriculture and the growth of tourism.

Halifax Media Group Halifax Media Group was an American newspaper company owning more than 30 newspapers in five Southeastern U.S. States. It was founded on March 31, 2010, when a group of investors purchased '' The Daytona Beach News-Journal'' from the Davidson fam ...

acquired the paper in 2012. In 2015, Halifax was acquired by

New Media Investment Group Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as several ...

. In March 2024, the newspaper switched from carrier to postal delivery.

References

External links

Ocala.com
the ''Star–Banners online site *
Historic Issues of the Ocala Evening Star
(1985–1922) a
Florida and Puerto Rico Digital Newspaper Project

Historic Issues of the Ocala Banner
(1883–1909) a
Florida and Puerto Rico Digital Newspaper Project
Newspapers published in Florida Ocala, Florida Daily newspapers published in the United States 1866 establishments in Florida Newspapers established in 1866 Gannett publications {{Florida-newspaper-stub