About Us

HISTORY OF THE TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH

The Tyler Morning Telegraph has been in publication since 1929, but the newspaper has its roots in the 19th century. From almost the very founding of Tyler and Smith County, there has been a local newspaper to keep residents advised of happenings of the day, community leaders and events shaping history. The company traces its roots to 1877 when two brothers, L. M. Green and J. P. Green, established the weekly Courier. The Courier was converted to a daily newspaper in 1882. A public stock subscription in 1906 helped pave the way for the consolidation of the Daily Courier and another local newspaper, the Weekly Times, creating The Tyler Courier-Times, Tyler's longtime afternoon newspaper. In 1910, a fire destroyed the production facility, forcing the newspaper to temporarily print in a job shop using paper not much larger than letterhead stationery.

FAMILY OWNERSHIP BEGINS

Following the fire, the newspaper was acquired by Thomas Booker Butler Nov. 18, 1910. Butler, a Tyler attorney and respected businessman, has been described as a "many-sided man" who was active in banking, business, church, legal endeavors and newspaper publishing. Butler was born Jan. 14, 1867, in the Starrville community of Smith County, the son of Sallie F. Holt and James Wiley Butler. His father served as Smith County sheriff in the 1870s and was a deputy U. S. Marshal and U. S. District Court clerk in Tyler. His mother was the daughter of Col. Thomas B. Holt, a well-known planter and one of Smith County's early settlers. Thomas Booker Butler was one of four children. His siblings were Leberta, Henry and Lee. As a boy, he often spent time on the 1,100-acre farm established in 1853 in Starrville by his grandfather, Col. William Booker Butler Sr., who was known as Booker Butler. He attended Tyler public schools after the family moved to town and was later a student at Tyler Academy. After leaving school, he worked as a deputy sheriff under his father.

THE NEWSPAPER ERA

On Nov. 18, 1910, a front-page notice in the Daily Courier-Times told of the sale of the publication to Butler and his associates. The company, which began in 1877, had suffered severe losses from a fire just prior to the sale and the subscription list was the sole remaining asset, according to accounts. "Under the leadership of Judge Butler, the Courier-Times set an early pattern of community leadership," according to an historical account in a company publication. "During the first four years of his ownership, the newspaper led a successful campaign to construct a modern streetcar system with seven miles of track and was highly instrumental in the abolition of the old ward system of city government, it being replaced in 1915 by the city manager form of government, making Tyler the fifth city in the state with this new form of municipal administration." Butler died April 10, 1919, and ownership of the newspaper passed half to his wife, Sallie, and half to their children: Tom B. Butler, Jr., and daughters, Mrs. S. H. Bothwell, Mrs. Sarah C. Butler and Mrs. Calvin Clyde Sr. Key management duties in the early 1920s were handled by Henry Arch McDougal and, from the latter part of the decade through 1934, by Carl Estes. Tom Butler, Jr., who also worked for the newspaper, was killed in a car accident in 1931. From the mid-1930s until about 1943, Jim Donahue was editor and a lead manager. Sarah Butler, who began working at the newspaper shortly after her father's death, later became general manager and publisher. Her active management years ranged from the early days of World War II until 1951, but she retained the title of publisher until her death in 1981. She was followed as general manager by Calvin Clyde Jr., her nephew, who became president when the firm incorporated in 1973. He retired in 1990 and his son, Nelson Clyde III, was elected as president and publisher by the board of directors. JD Osborn became general manager and later vice president/administration.

MARKING GROWTH

Shortly after the fire, the newspaper began operating at 215 N. College Ave., where it had better access to the rail transportation that delivered printing paper. The Tyler Morning Telegraph, which featured expanded coverage of East Texas cities, debuted Nov. 14, 1929. The Courier-Times continued to focus on Tyler news for subscribers within the city limits. The Sunday edition was renamed the Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph. Facing a demand for more space to accommodate growth, the company moved in 1950 to its present location, 410 W. Erwin St. Since then, several building expansion and remodeling projects have taken place. Beginning in the 1970s, the popularity of morning-delivery newspapers soared, and the number of subscribers to the Courier-Times declined. On Oct. 31, 1995, the company ended publication of its afternoon newspaper. In a letter to readers on the front page of the final Courier-Times, Nelson Clyde III thanked readers, advertisers and employees and closed by saying, "We'll see you in the morning."

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP

On December 1st of 2018, M. Roberts Media purchased the Tyler Morning Telegraph from the T.B. Butler Publishing, Co. forming one of the largest media companies in East Texas. Stephen N. McHaney, president of M. Roberts Media and publisher of the News-Journal, said the arrangement cements the Tyler and Longview newspapers’ place as the dominant media players in the region while opening new avenues for them to better serve East Texas through print, digital and face-to-face media. “The Tyler Morning Telegraph has been owned by an East Texas family for five generations, and it’s a great pleasure to be able to continue that tradition through this merger,” McHaney said. “Together, we will better serve our readers with enhanced local and regional news coverage and our advertising and business partners with marketing and advertising vehicles with unparalleled reach across East Texas. This is a good day for our region.” Nelson Clyde III, president of T.B. Butler Publishing Co., which owned the Tyler Morning Telegraph, said that the two family-owned companies were a great fit and that readers, advertisers and employees of his newspaper would be well-served under M. Roberts Media. “My family and Stephen’s have a long history of cooperation and respect for each other, and I’m pleased to be handing off this great newspaper to a family that’s in the business for the right reasons,” Clyde said. “Those reasons are to advocate for our communities and serve our advertising partners while building a stronger business for our employees and their families.”

M. ROBERTS MEDIA

M. Roberts Media owns the leading community daily newspapers and related web services in East Texas and South Texas. The family-owned company has headquarters in Longview, where its president and his family reside. The company's roots date back to 1846 at the Victoria Advocate, the second-oldest daily newspaper in Texas. M. Roberts' chairman John Roberts and his sister, company secretary-treasurer Catherine McHaney, live in Victoria. M. Roberts Digital, a full-service digital marketing firm, also is part of the newspaper operation. In East Texas, the company owns the daily Longview News-Journal and Marshall News Messenger and the twice-weekly Panola Watchman and the Kilgore News Herald as well as their associated digital brands; M. Roberts Digital, a full-service digital marketing firm; TCM Printing, providing commercial printing and distribution services; events production and marketing; and other products.

You can read more about us at our corporate site, mrobertsmedia.com