A.L. "Butch" Alford

by Seung Kim, graduate student

At a time when chain ownership of newspapers has become the norm, the Lewiston Tribune in Idaho returned to local control earlier this year when its current editor and publisher, A.L. "Butch" Alford Jr., '60, bought the paper back from Kearns-Tribune Corporation. Alford hopes to continue the passion for quality news that began when his grandfather and great uncle started the paper in Lewiston over a century ago.

Alford has been the Lewiston Tribune's editor since 1968, following in the footsteps of his father, A.L. "Bud" Alford, and grandfather, Eugene "Pops" Alford, who was editor until 1948.

The newspaper was entirely owned by members of the Alford family until 1981, when they sold 67 percent to the Kearns-Tribune Corporation, a privately held corporation which publishes the Salt Lake City Tribune and has other business interests.

Alford was satisfied the corporation was upholding the ideals of community service. In 1992, he even traded his minority shares for Kearns-Tribune stock and joined the board of directors.

But then in July of 1997, the Kearns-Tribune Corporation became a subsidiary of TCI, the country's second largest cable operator. Alford knew he wanted to find a way to buy back the Lewiston Tribune. The transaction closed March 30. As part of the sale, three other papers switched hands: the Moscow Pullman Daily News, Daily Sparks Tribune in Sparks, Nevada, and the Whitman County Gazette in Colfax. They are now all owned by Alford's TPC Holdings.

With local ownership, Alford believes the desire to generate profits will not overshadow the goals of a community-focused newspaper.

"The mission and objectives will better match the hopes, dreams, and desires of the people who are our neighbors," said Alford, who has been a member of the Journalism Advancement Council since its beginning in 1984.

Alford believes large newspaper chains' drive for profit tends to become an overwhelming factor in operations and can diminish the quality of newspapers. Publishers don't always succeed in balancing the priorities of profit and quality. Alford said, "Most say that. Some practice it."

Listening to Alford tell stories about the roots of the Lewiston Tribune, it is not hard to see why newspapers are in his blood. In the fall of 1892, two brothers from rural Texas walked into Palmer Reyes Mercantile in Portland. Both had worked at the St. Louis Post Dispatch and knew they did not want to be farmers. After emptying their pockets for newspaper equipment, they asked the mercantilers where they would go to start a paper.

Given the choice between Astoria and Lewiston, the Alford brothers chose the latter for two important reasons: the railroad was coming through the town, and some land near Lewiston was to be opened up for homesteading. They headed up to Idaho by riverboat and founded the Tribune.

Alford remembers his grandfather had a flair for business and was often seen with a cigar in his mouth. He was known to wear a blue wool suit year round--even in the blistering Idaho summers. Brother Albert focused on writing.

"He was a fine editorial writer in the flowery prose of the times,"Alford said.

Now the Lewiston Tribune is all in the family again. Looking ahead, Alford said he won't change much at the paper. He said he only wants to continue the tradition of quality news that spans more than a century.

For the other three papers, he will rely on the editors and the staff to recommend improvements. After all, if he came in and began to make wholesale changes without their input, he would be guilty of doing what he fears absentee owners of newspaper chains would do. As long as Alford is in charge, these papers will continue their dedication to serve their communities with quality news coverage.