(Reprint. Pittsburgh Courier Front Page Sept. 15, 1962 by new owner and Publisher S.B. Fuller. Fuller owned the paper from 1962 to 1966.)
The Pittsburgh Courier, beginning with the local edition, Dec. 8, will change its image from that of a “Negro protest organ” to one which will reflect the total community concept in all its primary circulation areas.
Dramatic announcement of the change in editorial format was made in a joint statement by Mrs. Robert L. Vann, president and treasurer of The Pittsburgh Courier and S.B. Fuller, publisher of the Courier during a press conference held at the Press Club at 11 a.m. Thursday.
The new image, that of a newspaper with a broad community concept, will reflect this image throughout the Hill, East Liberty, Homewood-Brushton, North Side and South Side areas.
The Courier will seek to cover the community interests of all residents, both White and Negro, in these areas.
Part of the reason for the change has been the success of a monthly newspaper, the Urban Times-Record, which began six months ago in the Homewood-Brushton area.
As part of the change-over, The Courier is acquiring the Urban Times-Record including the staff of Stanley K. Rideout, managing editor, and two reporters, Mrs. Charlotte Nelson and Mrs. Loretta Green.
All will be assigned to the staff of the new Courier.
Mr. Rideout will join The Courier circulation department and the two reporters, both of whom are journalism graduates of Duquesne University will augment the Courier’s present editorial staff.
Because of the change in editorial concept, this does not mean The Courier will not concern itself with the problems faced by Pittsburgh Negroes as a minority group.
This is particularly true of the problems faced by Negroes and the plan of the Urban Redevelopment now projected for those neighborhoods where the bulk of Pittsburgh’s Negro population now resides.
The editorial concept will be concerned with fitting the Negro into his role as a resident and taxpayer of the community like a piece into a puzzle.
The new approach stems from the fact that the Negro today lives in a total society and therefore The Courier will seek to move its editorial policy into the mainstream of Pittsburgh’s community life.
The new Courier will be looking for readers who will want to read The Courier because of its excellence, accuracy, readership and editorial content.
The new paper will offer a variety of features which will be of interest to all Pittsburghers including articles by such persons as Bishop John J. Wright of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese.
The announcement was made by S.B. Fuller, publisher of The Pittsburgh Courier. Mr. Fuller has secured special permission from William Block, publisher of the Post-Gazette to have Regis D. Bobonis, Post-Gazette staff writer aid in blue-printing the new paper.
Mr. Bobonis will act as special consultant to the publisher and effectuate the change in editorial format.
Until the new issue is published The Courier and the Urban Times-Record will continue to be published separately.
Also, it is to be noted that the so-called Negro protest stories write themselves these days because of the presence in the community of such organizations as the Mayor’s Commission on Human Relations, the NAACP, the Urban League, Catholic Interracial Council and the State Human Relations Commission.
And henceforth, The Courier will look to these organizations for an accurate assessment of the progress and problems of Pittsburgh’s Negro.
The Courier closed its doors in 1966 but according to Bill Nunn Jr., Hazel Garland, and John Sengstacke it didn’t miss an issue.
