BIRMINGHAM — For 55 years, the Birmingham Post-Herald has been 'the little guy' among Birmingham’s newspapers, the smaller publication that often scrambled to get the big story.It will scramble no longer.
The Post-Herald, the afternoon daily in Alabama’s largest city for the past decade, is folding Friday after a 55-year run.
"The people of Birmingham are going to lose something after today. It’s a part of their town that they’ll never get back," said Steve Joynt, a reporter at the Post-Herald for 15 years who is now an assistant city editor at the Mobile Register.
The newspaper’s 43 staff members were told Thursday morning that today’s edition would be the last in the Post-Herald’s long history, which included documenting the civil rights movement, George Wallace’s four terms as governor and the city’s change from steel town to an urban financial and medical center.
But after the 1996 switch that made The Birmingham News the morning paper, the Post-Herald’s paid circulation fell sharply, ending below 8,000. At its peak, a few decades back, it was more than 70,000.
With its demise, the Post-Herald was remembered for offering something different.
"I think we were more open to the idea of change. We were more open to challenge the status quo," said Karl Seitz, the Post-Herald’s longtime editorial writer, who started working for the newspaper in 1967 when he was still a student at Birmingham-Southern College.
Seitz said the Post-Herald never worried too much about stirring things up when covering the news. An example was in 1990, when the newspaper led the way in coverage of the then all-white Shoal Creek Country Club, which was about to host the PGA Championship. The country club ended up admitting a black member before the start of the tournament.
The coverage angered some people in the community and there were threats to boycott the Post-Herald.
"We didn’t worry about such things. We let the chips fall where they may," said Seitz.
"Being the underdog, of course we tried harder," said Joynt.
The newspaper is owned by Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps, which announced that it was closing the Post-Herald because of "economic realities," saying it’s clear the Birmingham market will no longer support an afternoon newspaper.
With the announcement, Scripps is ending its joint operating agreement with The Birmingham News, which has been managing the printing, marketing and distribution of both newspapers. The News, owned by Advance Publications, will continue to appear seven mornings a week.
The Post-Herald formed in 1950 with the merger of the old Birmingham Post and Age-Herald.
The newspaper’s alumni include former New York Times executive editor Howell Raines, who worked at the Post-Herald early in his career, the late Alabama political writer Ted Bryant, retired sports editor Bill Lumpkin and Jim Bennett, who was a reporter at the Post-Herald from 1961 to 1970 before embarking on a successful political career.
"This is a day we all knew would come some day," said Bennett, a former Alabama secretary of state who is now state labor commissioner.
"I was glad to have been associated with the Post-Herald during a crucial time in Alabama history, during the George Wallace era and during the push for civil rights. It was a great time to be a reporter," Bennett said.
The Post-Herald was also known for its sports coverage.
"I don’t think there’s any question that for a brief shining moment, the Post-Herald was the most important newspaper in the city and perhaps the state, because people had to pay attention to it," said talk radio host Paul Finebaum, a former sports columnist for the Post-Herald.
"I think we’ve always had good writing, but what set us apart was a commitment to photo journalism," said photo editor Bob Farley, who has been at the Post-Herald since 1988.
"We’ve always believed that a photo can be an extremely powerful communicator of emotion and helps the reader have empathy for the subjects," Farley said.
Willis said after the final edition is published, he will concentrate his efforts on helping the newspaper’s 43 staff members find jobs.
"I’ve got a lot of emotions churning around in me right now. One of the most important is to work with our folks to help them get hooked up elsewhere," said Willis, who has been at the Post-Herald since 1984.
Willis described the closing as "a sad day."
"But we have the privilege of writing our own obituary," he said.
