The Cullman Tribune is Cullman’s only locally-owned newspaper.
In 2020, The Tribune came away with 24 Alabama Press Association Media Awards, including Photo of the Year (Martha Needham), second place in General Excellence and first place in Most Improved.
Best In-Depth News Coverage- 1st place, 3rd place
Best Feature Story Coverage- 1st place
Best Human Interest Column- 1st place
Best Editorial Column or Commentary- 2nd place
Best Sports News In-Depth Coverage- 2nd place
Best Sports Single Event Story- 2nd place
Best Sports Feature Story- 2nd place
Best Feature Photo- 2nd place
Best Sports Photo- 1st place
Best Photo Essay- 3rd place
Online Breaking News Coverage- 1st place, 2nd place
Best Use of Social Media- 2nd place
FOI- First Amendment Award- 2nd place, 3rd place
General Excellence- 2nd place
Most Improved- 1st place
Best Public Service- 3rd place
Photo of Year
Advertising- Best Original/Creative Idea- 2nd place
Best Presentation of Online Advertising- 1st place
In 2019, The Tribune won six Alabama Press Association Media Awards:
Best In-Depth News Coverage
Best Human Interest Column
Best Sports Photo
Online Breaking News Coverage (2 awards)
Best Use of Social Media
The Cullman Tribune is the oldest continuously published weekly newspaper in Alabama. It is also Cullman County’s oldest business. Its pages have covered both the good and the bad news around this area since January 1, 1874 – three years before Cullman County was even created! Yes, the old newspaper publication could tell some pretty interesting tales.
The Alabama Tribune, as it was originally called, was founded in 1874 by early Cullman businessmen George H. Parker and Gottfried A. Prinz. Both men were instrumental in Cullman’s earliest years. Prinz was Cullman’s mayor from 1876-1877, he was Cullman’s first postmaster and opened Cullman’s first store in 1873. Parker also served as mayor of Cullman, from 1900-1903. Additionally, Parker donated land and money to help start Cullman High School back in 1909.
In 1875, the Southern Immigrant newspaper was founded by Charles A. Beckert, H.L. Watlington and John A. Johnson. On November 1, 1880, the Alabama Tribune and the Southern Immigrant merged together under the management of Johnson, who continued the publication as the Alabama Tribune. He held editorial control of the paper until August 1892 when he claimed he had “been in the newspaper business for 50 years and wanted a rest.”
Johnson sold the paper to T.J. Simpson and George Hewlett, who sold the paper a couple years later to M.L. Robertson in April 1895. In December of that same year, Robertson changed the newspaper’s name from The Alabama Tribune to The Cullman Tribune. (Interesting note: In September 1897, Robertson married Miss Mary Alice Parker who was the daughter of George H. Parker, original co-owner of the Tribune!)
“Three families have dominated the history of Alabama’s longest continually published weekly newspaper,” said Delton Blalock, former publisher and editor of The Cullman Tribune. “The Norwood family published the Tribune for two decades early last century. The Arnold family published the Tribune for over 30 years in the middle of last century. Blalock Publishing, L.L.C. (has) now (had) the longest tenure as publisher of the Cullman Tribune, which is also Cullman’s oldest business.”
On April 1, 2016, CullmanSense, owned by Noah Galilee and Dustin Isom, acquired The Cullman Tribune.
Now, The Cullman Tribune prints five days per week, Tuesday-Saturday, and is online 24/7 at www.cullmantribune.com, www.facebook.com/CullmanTribune and www.twitter.com/cullmantribune.
Proud to be Cullman’s only locally-owned newspaper, The Cullman Tribune continues to serve the community while preserving the rich history of its news archives.
Reach the editor at [email protected].
For advertising inquiries, contact [email protected].
Stop in and say hello at 219 Second Ave. SE.
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