The Old Gray Lady

If you didn't get a chance to see the documentary on the history of the Arkansas Gazette on AETN Friday, your next chance will be the inaugural Little Rock Film Festival in May. The program was produced by UCA and is a must-see.

I can remember the end days of the Gannett-run Gazette in the late 80s up through its final days in 1991 (I was a senior in high school when it was purchased by the then-Arkansas Democrat). Growing up, we were subscribers to the Texarkana and Arkansas Gazettes. As a matter of fact, my dad's first cousin was Jimmy Jones, once at the Texarkana Gazette then the state editor of the Arkansas Gazette for several years up to his untimely death.

There is a pretty good segment of the documentary devoted to the 1957 LR Central crisis and how the Gazette took a subscription hit with its progressive editorial stance at the time. No one can validate that point better than my dad, who carried the paper on an Arkadelphia route on his bicycle during this period as a 13-year old. As part of his job, he was required to collect money from subscribers. Some of the things he was told on their doorsteps aren't fit for this blog, but suffice it to say that many of them merely canceled on the spot and sent word with him on what they thought of the Gazette's position. Maybe AETN will air the program again. Here's a link showing where many former Gazette employees are now.