Real Times
Real Times is a privately held American media company that owns and publishes newspapers serving African American communities in major Midwestern and Southern markets.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Real Times, also known as Real Times Media, is an American media company based in Midtown Detroit. Its principal business is the ownership and publication of newspapers and related media serving African American communities. The company is best known as the owner of the Chicago Defender, a historically important Black newspaper founded in 1905, and it also operates or publishes a group of regional newspapers and magazines in the eastern and Midwestern United States. The company was established in January 2003 by a consortium of Chicago and Detroit business leaders to acquire the newspaper assets of Sengstacke Enterprises Inc. The transaction followed the death of longtime Sengstacke publisher John H. Sengstacke in 1997 and several years of uncertainty over the future ownership of the family-controlled newspaper chain. The acquisition was reportedly completed for nearly $12 million. Real Times inherited a portfolio with deep roots in African American journalism, including the Chicago Defender, the Michigan Chronicle, the Tri-State/New Pittsburgh Courier publishing tradition, and other regional titles. The company’s most prominent asset is the Chicago Defender. Founded by Robert Sengstacke Abbott in 1905, the Defender became an influential national voice for Black Americans. Its coverage of employment, migration, civil rights, politics, and urban life helped connect African American communities across the United States. The newspaper played a notable role in encouraging the Great Migration by reporting on opportunities and living conditions in Northern cities. Under the Sengstacke family, the Defender developed from a Chicago weekly into part of a broader newspaper chain. It became a daily in 1956, using the name Chicago Daily Defender, before returning to weekly publication after Real Times acquired the chain in 2003. Real Times has maintained a multi-market publishing model. Its newspaper and magazine holdings have included the Atlanta Daily World, Chicago Defender, Michigan Chronicle, The Michigan FrontPage, New Pittsburgh Courier, and Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, also known as ATM. The company has also expanded beyond traditional print publishing. Its holdings include RTM Digital Studios, a videography and digital-media business, as well as an archive containing newspaper clippings, photographs, artifacts, and other materials related to African American history. In 2009, Real Times acquired Who’s Who Publishing Company of Columbus, Ohio, a publisher of biographical and networking guides focused on African American businesspeople in cities across the United States. In 2012, the Atlanta Daily World merged with Real Times. The combination was presented as a way to provide the historic Atlanta publication with greater multimedia resources and a broader operating platform. Real Times has therefore functioned not only as a newspaper owner but also as a custodian and commercial distributor of African American historical records, community information, events, and business-oriented media. The company remains a private media group with operations centered on regional publications and digital content rather than a publicly traded mass-media conglomerate.
History
Real Times emerged from the long-running Sengstacke newspaper enterprise, whose origins were closely tied to the Chicago Defender. Robert Sengstacke Abbott founded the Defender in 1905 to serve Chicago’s African American population, which received limited attention from mainstream newspapers. Abbott used the publication to report on Black life, discrimination, employment, migration, and opportunities in Northern cities. Its coverage helped encourage African Americans in the Southern United States to move north during the Great Migration. Abbott’s nephew, John H. Sengstacke, became publisher in 1940 and helped develop the Defender into a broader institution within the Black press. He was also associated with the formation of the National Negro Publishers Association, later renamed the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Under Sengstacke family ownership, the newspaper enterprise expanded beyond Chicago. The Michigan Chronicle was established in Detroit in 1936, the Chicago paper’s Memphis bureau was transformed into the Tri-State Defender in 1951, and the assets of the Pittsburgh Courier were acquired in 1965 and used to launch the New Pittsburgh Courier. The Chicago Defender became a daily newspaper on February 6, 1956, adopting the name Chicago Daily Defender. It was the second Black daily newspaper in the United States, following the Atlanta Daily World. The collection of titles became known as Sengstacke Enterprises Inc., or SEI. After John H. Sengstacke died in 1997, the company remained in a family trust while a buyer was sought. Sengstacke had directed that the papers be sold, but finding an appropriate purchaser took several years. During this period, Sam Logan, a longtime publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, left that publication in 2000 and established the competing weekly Michigan FrontPage. Logan later became one of the investors in Real Times. In January 2003, a consortium of Chicago and Detroit business leaders formed Real Times to acquire SEI’s newspaper assets. The sale was reportedly valued at nearly $12 million. The new owners converted the Chicago Defender from a daily back to a weekly, while continuing to operate a portfolio of African American newspapers in several regional markets. Real Times subsequently broadened its media holdings. In 2009, it acquired Who’s Who Publishing Company, a Columbus-based publisher of biographical and networking guides for African American businesspeople in approximately 25 cities. In 2012, the Atlanta Daily World merged with Real Times. Although the Atlanta Daily World had retained the word “Daily” in its name, it was then published weekly. Its publisher characterized the combination as a new beginning supported by expanded multimedia capabilities. The company’s portfolio has included the Atlanta Daily World, Chicago Defender, Michigan Chronicle, Michigan FrontPage, New Pittsburgh Courier, and Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, also referred to as ATM. Real Times has also owned RTM Digital Studios, a videography business, and a substantial collection of newspaper clippings, photographs, artifacts, and other materials documenting African American history. Its headquarters have been located in Midtown Detroit; earlier offices included the Globe Tobacco Building in downtown Detroit and later the Buhl Building. Real Times’ significance rests on the combination of commercial publishing and historical stewardship. It operates titles that serve local and regional audiences while preserving institutions that played important roles in African American journalism, migration history, civic life, and business networking. The company remains privately held, and the available reference material does not identify a current chief executive, controlling owner, or public-market listing.
- 2024
William Pickard dies
[1]Real Times co-owner William Pickard died in June 2024.
- 2012
Atlanta Daily World joins Real Times
[1]The Atlanta Daily World merged with Real Times, adding another historic African American newspaper to the group.
- 2009
Who’s Who Publishing Company acquired
[1]Real Times expanded into business biographies and networking guides through the acquisition of Who’s Who Publishing Company.
- 2003
Real Times formed and acquires SEI assets
[1]A Chicago- and Detroit-based investor consortium formed Real Times and acquired Sengstacke Enterprises’ newspaper assets.
- 1965
New Pittsburgh Courier launched
[1]Sengstacke Enterprises acquired assets associated with the defunct Pittsburgh Courier and launched the New Pittsburgh Courier.
- 1956
Chicago Defender becomes a daily
[1]The Defender adopted the name Chicago Daily Defender and became the second Black daily newspaper in the United States.
- 1951
Tri-State Defender launched
[1]The Chicago Defender’s Memphis bureau was developed into the Tri-State Defender weekly newspaper.
- 1936
Michigan Chronicle established
[1]The Michigan Chronicle was established in Detroit as part of the expanding Sengstacke newspaper network.
- 1905
Chicago Defender founded
[1]Robert Sengstacke Abbott founded the Chicago Defender, which became the historical cornerstone of the Real Times newspaper portfolio.
Products and positioning
A private, community-focused African American media company combining historic newspapers, regional publishing, digital production, business directories, and archival assets.
Newspaper · 1905
Chicago Defender
The Chicago Defender is Real Times’ best-known publication and one of the historic institutions of the African American press. Founded in 1905, it developed a national reputation through coverage of Black civic life, migration, politics, employment, and social conditions. It was published as a daily from 1956 until 2003, when Real Times returned it to weekly publication.
Newspaper · 1936
Michigan Chronicle
The Michigan Chronicle is a Detroit-based African American newspaper founded in 1936. It forms part of Real Times’ core regional publishing portfolio and focuses on news, civic affairs, business, and community issues affecting Detroit and Michigan audiences.
Newspaper · 1928
Atlanta Daily World
The Atlanta Daily World is a historic African American newspaper that joined Real Times in 2012. Despite its name, the publication was operating as a weekly at the time of the merger. Its integration expanded Real Times’ presence in Atlanta and added a publication with deep roots in Black journalism.
Newspaper · 1965
New Pittsburgh Courier
The New Pittsburgh Courier is a regional African American newspaper created after Sengstacke Enterprises acquired assets associated with the Pittsburgh Courier in 1965. It became part of the newspaper tradition later managed by Real Times and serves the Pittsburgh market.
Newspaper · 2000
The Michigan FrontPage
The Michigan FrontPage is a Detroit-area weekly founded by former Michigan Chronicle publisher Sam Logan in 2000. Logan later invested in Real Times, which continued publishing the competing weekly alongside the acquired Sengstacke titles.
Magazine
Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine
Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, also referred to as ATM, is a magazine publication associated with Real Times’ Atlanta portfolio. It extends the group’s presence beyond weekly newspapers into magazine-format community and business media.
Digital media and videography
RTM Digital Studios
RTM Digital Studios is Real Times’ videography and digital-media operation. It represents the company’s expansion from print publishing into multimedia production and supports the group’s broader content strategy.
Business directory and biographical publishing
Who’s Who Publishing Company
Acquired by Real Times in 2009, Who’s Who Publishing Company produces biographical and networking guides focused on African American businesspeople. Its publications have covered communities in approximately 25 cities across the United States.
Brand decisions
2012
Merge with the Atlanta Daily WorldM&ABackground
The Atlanta Daily World was a historic publication operating as a weekly despite retaining “Daily” in its name, and it sought additional multimedia resources.
Action taken
The Atlanta Daily World merged with Real Times.
Aftermath
The merger expanded Real Times’ Atlanta presence and was described by the publisher as a new beginning supported by broader multimedia capabilities.
2009
Acquire Who’s Who Publishing CompanyM&ABackground
Real Times sought to broaden its business beyond newspaper publishing and reach African American professional and business networks.
Action taken
The company purchased Who’s Who Publishing Company of Columbus, Ohio.
Aftermath
Real Times added biographical and networking publications covering African American businesspeople in numerous American cities.
2003
Acquire Sengstacke Enterprises newspaper assetsM&ABackground
Sengstacke Enterprises had remained in a family trust after John H. Sengstacke’s death in 1997, while the future of its newspapers was evaluated.
Action taken
A consortium of Chicago and Detroit business leaders formed Real Times and acquired the newspaper assets, reportedly for nearly $12 million.
Aftermath
Real Times became the owner of a historically significant group of African American newspapers and returned the Chicago Defender to weekly publication.
2003
Return the Chicago Defender to weekly publicationStrategyBackground
The Chicago Defender had operated as a daily since 1956, but its new ownership inherited a changing newspaper market and a multi-title regional portfolio.
Action taken
Real Times changed the publication from a daily back to a weekly newspaper.
Aftermath
The change aligned the Defender with the group’s community-weekly publishing model, although the title retained its historical importance.
Sources1 sources
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