Frank Gannett - Rivalry With William Randolph Hearst

Rivalry With William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst, another media magnate of the time, is often portrayed as Gannett’s rival. The pair’s rivalry came to head particularly in the 1920’s. Up until that point, Rochester had been monopolized by the Gannett Corporation while the Albany, NY newspapers were mostly under the control of Hearst. This changed in 1922, when William Randolph Hearst attempted to break into the Rochester newspaper business. This would prove to be highly unsuccessful, as it was reported that Hearst began losing $100,000 a year. To combat Hearst’s entrance to the Rochester newspaper business, Gannett brought the Knickerbocker Press and Albany Evening News in 1928. The Knickerbocker Press was circulated in the morning while the Albany Evening News was circulated in the evening and was a direct competitor of Times Union (Albany), Heart’s newspaper. By 1937, Gannett monopolized not only the Rochester newspaper business but the Albany one as well. It was at this time that Hearst and Gannett struck a deal. William Randolph Hearst would pull out of Rochester, where at one point he was bribing citizens with new cars in order to attract new customers. In exchange Gannett would consolidate the Knickerbocker Press and Albany Evening News into a single evening newspaper called the Knickerbocker Press. Hearst would then transfer the Times Union to the morning field unopposed. The deal would leave Hearst disappointed yet feeling wiser and sounder. Hearst felt “sounder because he was putting his financial house in order all along the line and had just concluded a constructive deal in Rochester and Albany, N. Y.”