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Watertown Public Opinion

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Watertown Public Opinion
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
OwnerUSA Today Co.
FounderL.D. Lyon
Founded1887
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters120 Third Avenue NW, Watertown, South Dakota 57201 United States
Circulation9,336 (as of 2015)[1]
Websitethepublicopinion.com

The Watertown Public Opinion is a newspaper published in Watertown, South Dakota, United States, serving eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. It is fourth largest newspaper in South Dakota and publishes Tuesday through Saturday.[2]

History

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On April 1, 1887, L.D. Lyon published the first edition of the Watertown Public Opinion,[3][4] two years before South Dakota statehood.[5] He was soon sued for libel.[6] In 1893, Lyon sold the Public Opinion to Herbert Geddes, A.W. Ransom, and Frank J. Cory, the owners of the Watertown Daily News, who then merged the two papers.[7][8]

In 1908, Stitzel X. Way purchased the paper for $25,000 and succeeded Cory as editor.[9][10] Two years later he was sued for libel.[11] S.X. Way published the paper until his death in 1942.[12] His son Kenneth B. Way then took over as publisher, and in 1985 was succeeded by John R. Lowrie.[13] His son Steve Lowrie became general manager in 1988,[14] and publisher in 1994.[15]

After 94 years of family ownership, the Public Opinion was acquired by United Communications Corporation in 2002,[16][17] Schurz Communications in 2016,[18][19] and GateHouse Media in 2019.[20] Later that year the company merged with Gannett,[21] and then was renamed to USA Today Co. in 2025.[22]

Hall of Fame

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Former owner Kenneth B. Way was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 1999,[23][24] followed by the South Dakota Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2016.[25]

References

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  1. ↑ "2015 South Dakota Newspaper Directory". South Dakota Newspaper Association. December 16, 2014. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Watertown Public Opinion". Muck Rack. May 29, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Dakota Territorial News". The Warner Sun. March 18, 1887. p. 2.
  4. ↑ "Local Paragraphs". Union County Courier. Elk Point, South Dakota. April 13, 1887. p. 3.
  5. ↑ Henderson, Kristen (March 20, 2025). "Newspaper Digitizing Project Gets Another Community Foundation Boost". Watertown Area Community Foundation. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Watertown Libel. | L.D. Lyon, Editor of Public Opinion Arrested for Criminal Libel". The Daily Plainsman. Huron, South Dakota. December 1, 1887. p. 5.
  7. ↑ "Newspaper Changes". The Sioux City Journal. June 18, 1893. p. 2.
  8. ↑ "Notice". The Black Hills Weekly Journal. Rapid City, South Dakota. June 23, 1893. p. 1.
  9. ↑ "Watertown Newspaper Bought By Insurgents". Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. February 8, 1908. p. 1.
  10. ↑ Dockter, Taya M. (2003). "Vera Way Marghab". South Dakota History. 33 (1). South Dakota State Historical Society.
  11. ↑ "Public Opinion To Fight Libel". The Sioux Falls Press. August 26, 1910. p. 1.
  12. ↑ "S.X. Wa, Veteran Publisher, Dies Watertown, S.D.". Deadwood Pioneer-Times. Deadwood, South Dakota. Associated Press. July 12, 1942. p. 4.
  13. ↑ "New publisher named at Watertown Public Opinion". Rapid City Journal. Associated Press. January 3, 1985. p. 8.
  14. ↑ "Newspaper names manager". Rapid City Journal. Associated Press. January 16, 1988. p. 9.
  15. ↑ "Watertown publisher named". Rapid City Journal. Associated Press. March 17, 1994. p. 8.
  16. ↑ "Family sells Watertown Public Opinion". Rapid City Journal. Associated Press. January 7, 2002. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Watertown paper sold to Wis. group". Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. January 8, 2002. p. 18.
  18. ↑ "Company to buy Public Opinion". Rapid City Journal. August 7, 2016. p. 3.
  19. ↑ "Parent company of Aberdeen newspaper to buy Public Opinion". Mitchell Republic. Associated Press. August 8, 2016. p. 6.
  20. ↑ Havens, Cory (January 29, 2019). "Schurz sells Tribune, papers to GateHouse". The South Bend Tribune. South Bend, Indiana. pp. A1.
  21. ↑ Lombardo, Cara; Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A. (August 5, 2019). "GateHouse Media Parent to Buy Gannett for $1.4 Billion". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  22. ↑ Stenberg, Mark (November 4, 2025). "Gannett Rebrands as USA Today Co". Adweek. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Rapid City | Hall of Fame luncheon set for September". Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. August 18, 1999. p. 10.
  24. ↑ "Legacy Kenneth Way". South Dakota Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Newspaper Hall of Fame to honor four South Dakotans". The Black Hills Pioneer. Spearfish, South Dakota. March 5, 2016. pp. A3.
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