The Olympian is a daily newspaper based in Olympia, Washington, in the United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and publishes a daily printed edition.
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 The July 27, 2005 front page of The Olympian | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | The McClatchy Company |
| Founder(s) | John Miller Murphy |
| Founded | 1860 (as The Washington Standard) |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 400 Union Ave. SE, Suite 200 Olympia, WA 98501 United States |
| Circulation | 13,153 Daily 15,454 Sunday (as of 2020)[1] |
| ISSN | 0746-7575 |
| OCLC number | 10253415 |
| Website | theolympian |
History
Olympia was home to the first newspaper to be published in modern-day Washington, The Columbian (unrelated to the modern publication), which published its first edition on September 11, 1852.[2][3]
The Olympian started in 1860 as The Washington Standard, a weekly paper. It was founded by John Miller Murphy, and its first issue was released on November 17, 1860.[4] The paper became The Daily Olympian in February 1889 when it began publishing daily. Many people in Olympia still refer to The Olympian by its former name, or as "The Daily O."
The Daily Olympian and another Olympia newspaper, The Daily Recorder, merged in 1928.[5] The Daily Olympian moved from its original home, on Legion Way and Washington Street, to the Capitol Press Building at the corner of Capitol Way and State Avenue.
The Gannett Company purchased The Daily Olympian in 1971 and shortened its name to The Olympian in 1982. The Olympian moved to its current location at 111 Bethel Street in 1972.[5]
In September 2005, The Olympian was traded by Gannett Company, Inc., along with The Bellingham Herald and Boise newspapers, to Knight Ridder in exchange for the Tallahassee Democrat.[5] In 2006, Knight Ridder was acquired by The McClatchy Company.[6]
In June 2017, The Olympian announced that it would move to an office in downtown Olympia, on the corner of Legion Way and Franklin Street.[7] The building on Bethel Street was to be occupied by the Olympia School District's administrative office.[8]
In 2019, printing of the paper was moved to the press of The Columbian in Vancouver, Washington, as the Tacoma press was discontinued as its age made maintaining too costly.[9] Starting on Jan. 25, 2020, The Olympian ceased producing a printed newspaper on Saturdays and replaced it with expanded newspapers on Fridays and Sundays.[10]
In July 2023, The Olympian switched from delivering physical papers by local carrier to using the U.S. Mail.[11] In March 2024, the paper announced it will decrease the number of print editions to three a week starting May 6.[12]
Olympics trademark dispute
McClatchy submitted a trademark application for The Olympian in 2006, which was disputed by the United States Olympic Committee under the terms of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, amended in 1998, which gives the USOCexclusive control of various names derived from the name "Olympic Games". But the 1998 law makes an exception to protect businesses and services in Washington state that were not named for the Olympic Games, but rather the geographic locations sharing the name.[13] The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted The Olympian its requested trademark in 2011.[14]
