The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter, commonly known as THR, is an American entertainment trade publication founded in Los Angeles in 1930 by William R. Wilkerson. It began as Hollywood's first daily trade newspaper and developed into one of the best-known sources of reporting, analysis, reviews, rankings, and business intelligence for the film and television industries. Its coverage now extends beyond motion pictures to television, theatre, music, streaming, awards, technology, talent, media finance, fashion, and the broader entertainment economy. The publication was established at a time when Hollywood's studio system was consolidating its influence over production, distribution, exhibition, and publicity. Wilkerson's daily paper combined trade reporting with opinion, gossip, criticism, and the influential “Tradeviews” column. The approach made the Reporter a consequential industry voice, although its early editorial history also included aggressive campaigning and highly controversial anti-Communist coverage. In 1946, Wilkerson used the paper to identify alleged Communist sympathizers in Hollywood; several people named in his column later became associated with the Hollywood blacklist. Decades later, THR acknowledged and investigated this part of its institutional history. For much of the twentieth century, THR competed directly with Variety for influence among studios, agencies, producers, exhibitors, broadcasters, and other entertainment professionals. Ownership changed several times. Tichi Wilkerson Kassel, Wilkerson's wife, led the publication after his death in 1962. In 1988 she sold it to BPI Communications, which was later acquired by VNU. The title subsequently became part of Nielsen Business Media before being acquired by Prometheus Global Media in 2009. A major repositioning took place in 2010 under editorial director Janice Min. The daily trade paper was transformed into a weekly, large-format print magazine supported by a redesigned digital publication. The new model emphasized original reporting, substantial photography, celebrity and executive profiles, investigative work, reviews, awards coverage, and high-visibility events. The website became an important source of breaking news, video, photo galleries, blogs, and business coverage, while the print edition retained a premium magazine format. The brand has also built a substantial events and franchise business. It sponsors or hosts awards-season gatherings, executive conferences, screenings, roundtables, rankings, and editorial packages focused on influential performers, creators, executives, lawyers, agents, and companies. Its international reach has included editions and partnerships in several markets, although the principal editorial and commercial base remains in the United States. In the late 2010s, the publication moved through the ownership structure associated with Eldridge Industries, Valence Media, and MRC. In 2020, Penske Media Corporation assumed day-to-day operations of THR and related media properties through a joint venture with MRC. In 2022, Todd Boehly withdrew from that joint venture and reacquired the assets he had contributed, including The Hollywood Reporter. The publication remains an active digital and print media brand, serving both professional entertainment audiences and a wider readership interested in Hollywood culture and the business of media.

The Hollywood Reporter was founded in Los Angeles on September 3, 1930, by William R. “Billy” Wilkerson as Hollywood's first daily entertainment trade newspaper. Its early editorial formula combined rapid industry information with opinion, gossip, publicity, and Wilkerson's “Tradeviews” column. The paper initially published six days a week and later moved to a Monday-to-Friday schedule. Its influence grew because it served the studios, distributors, exhibitors, talent representatives, and other businesses that formed the core of the Hollywood production system. The Reporter quickly became a rival to Variety. In 1932, Variety sued THR, alleging that the newer publication obtained and republished information from Variety's New York edition before it reached Hollywood. Variety responded by launching Daily Variety in 1933, creating a long-running direct competition in the entertainment-trade press. Wilkerson also cultivated relationships with powerful industry figures, including Howard Hughes, whose projects received favorable treatment in the paper and whose support helped the publication during financially difficult periods. The most troubling chapter of the paper's early history involved Hollywood's anti-Communist campaigns. Wilkerson opposed the Screen Writers Guild and used his column to argue that Communist influence threatened the motion-picture business. In 1946, a column titled “A Vote for Joe Stalin” named writers and other industry figures. Many of those identified later became associated with the Hollywood blacklist following congressional investigations. Wilkerson's role was celebrated by some contemporaries but has since been widely criticized as an abuse of trade-publication influence. In 2012, THR published an extensive examination of the episode and carried an apology from Wilkerson's son. Wilkerson remained associated with the publication until his death in 1962. His wife, Tichi Wilkerson Kassel, then became publisher and editor-in-chief. In 1988 she sold the paper to BPI Communications for $26.7 million. Robert J. Dowling became president and later editor-in-chief and publisher. During the following years, editorial leadership sought to reduce the sensationalism and personal influence associated with the earlier era. BPI was sold to VNU in 1994, and the title later became part of Nielsen Business Media after a private-equity-backed acquisition of VNU assets in 2006. Prometheus Global Media acquired THR from Nielsen Business Media in December 2009. Richard Beckman became chief executive, and in 2010 he recruited Janice Min, formerly editor of Us Weekly, to lead a major transformation. The daily trade paper was redesigned as a glossy weekly magazine, while the website was rebuilt to emphasize breaking news, original reporting, reviews, blogs, video, photography, and business analysis. The change helped the publication compete for both industry professionals and a broader audience interested in celebrity culture and entertainment news. THR also expanded its events, awards-season presence, executive conferences, and special editorial franchises. In 2013, the publication launched the style-focused Pret-a-Reporter site. Its digital portfolio also included Heat Vision, covering comics, science fiction, horror, and related screen culture. Min was promoted in 2014 to a broader role overseeing THR and Billboard, with John Amato as co-president handling business initiatives. Min left her operating editorial role in 2017, and Matthew Belloni became editorial director. Ownership again changed in the second half of the 2010s. Guggenheim Media's Prometheus properties were sold to executive Todd Boehly in 2015, and the company became associated with Eldridge Industries. In 2018, Eldridge's media properties and Media Rights Capital were combined into Valence Media, later known as MRC. In 2020, Penske Media Corporation assumed day-to-day operations of THR and several related brands through a joint venture with MRC. Belloni departed that year after editorial disagreements, and Nekesa Mumbi Moody was appointed editorial director. In August 2022, Boehly exited the MRC joint venture and reacquired the contributed assets, including The Hollywood Reporter. The brand continues to operate as a prominent digital and print entertainment publication, covering the commercial and creative dimensions of film, television, theatre, music, streaming, awards, and media technology.

• 2022

  Boehly reacquires contributed assets

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Todd Boehly exits the MRC joint venture and buys back assets including The Hollywood Reporter.

• 2020

  PMRC operating joint venture

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Penske Media Corporation takes over day-to-day operations through a joint venture with MRC.

• 2013

  Pret-a-Reporter launch

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  THR introduces a style-focused digital site.

• 2010

  Weekly magazine relaunch

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  THR moves from a daily trade-paper format to a weekly large-format magazine and relaunches its website.

• 2009

  Prometheus acquisition

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Prometheus Global Media acquires THR from Nielsen Business Media.

• 1995

  Website launch

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  THR becomes the first daily entertainment trade paper to establish a website.

• 1988

  Sale to BPI Communications

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Tichi Wilkerson Kassel sells the publication to BPI Communications.

• 1946

  Blacklist-related campaign

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Wilkerson uses the Tradeviews column to name alleged Communist sympathizers in Hollywood, contributing to the later blacklist controversy.

• 1932

  Early rivalry with Variety

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Variety sues THR over alleged use of information from its New York edition; Variety launches Daily Variety the following year.

• 1930

  Foundation

  [1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  William R. Wilkerson publishes the first edition of The Hollywood Reporter as a daily Hollywood trade newspaper.

Premium entertainment trade publication combining authoritative Hollywood business reporting with cultural coverage, criticism, awards intelligence, and high-end editorial presentation.

• Print publishing · 2010

  Weekly print magazine

  The weekly print edition presents original reporting, interviews, profiles, photography, reviews, festival previews, release coverage, box-office and television analysis, industry deal news, and reports from premieres and other entertainment events. Its large-format design and premium presentation were central to the 2010 repositioning of the brand.

• Digital publishing · 1995

  THR.com

  The website provides breaking entertainment news, film and television reviews, business reporting, awards coverage, original features, blogs, video, photo galleries, and analysis of media, technology, music, style, and global entertainment trends.

• Digital editorial franchise

  Heat Vision

  Heat Vision is a THR editorial franchise focused on comics, science fiction, horror, genre entertainment, and the screen-industry businesses connected to those categories.

• Events

  Industry events and conferences

  THR organizes or sponsors industry gatherings, executive conferences, awards-season events, screenings, conversations, and editorial programs that connect entertainment professionals with the publication's coverage and franchises.

• 2011

  Copyright and source-code lawsuit

  Deadline Hollywood sued THR over alleged copying of website source code. The matter settled in 2013 with an admission and apology relating to code copied from TVLine.

  Source

• 1946

  Role in the Hollywood blacklist

  William Wilkerson used THR to identify alleged Communist sympathizers in Hollywood. Several named individuals later became associated with the blacklist, making the publication's campaign one of the most controversial episodes in its history.

  Source

Read more

• 2013Pret-a-Reporter

  United States · International

  THR expanded its digital editorial portfolio with a site dedicated to entertainment style and fashion coverage.

  Outcome. The brand broadened its reach beyond conventional trade reporting.

  Source
• 2012Blacklist history investigation and apology

  United States

  For the 65th anniversary of the Hollywood blacklist, THR published an investigative account of William Wilkerson's role in naming alleged Communist sympathizers and included an apology from his son.

  Outcome. The publication publicly revisited and acknowledged a damaging part of its institutional history.

  Source

• 2022

  Reacquisition of The Hollywood ReporterM&A

  Background

  Todd Boehly withdrew from the MRC joint venture and reassessed the assets contributed to it.

  Action taken

  Boehly bought back the contributed assets, including The Hollywood Reporter.

  Aftermath

  THR returned to the ownership structure associated with Eldridge Industries.

  Source

• 2020

  PMRC operating arrangementStrategy

  Background

  MRC and Penske Media Corporation combined operational resources across several prominent entertainment publications.

  Action taken

  PMC assumed day-to-day operations of THR through a joint venture with MRC.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement ended in its previous form after Boehly reacquired contributed assets in 2022.

  Source

• 2013

  Settlement of Deadline Hollywood disputeOther

  Background

  Penske Media Corporation alleged that THR had copied source code from a PMC website.

  Action taken

  THR's parent company settled the lawsuit and issued an apology and admission concerning the copied code.

  Aftermath

  The dispute ended without a reported trial judgment in the supplied reference material.

  Source

• 2010

  Conversion from daily trade paper to weekly magazineStrategy

  Background

  The publication faced intense competition in entertainment trade journalism and sought a stronger premium editorial identity.

  Action taken

  Janice Min led a redesign that replaced the daily print format with a weekly large-format magazine while expanding the website's breaking-news and multimedia capabilities.

  Aftermath

  The relaunch was associated with increased attention, stronger digital traffic, and a broader readership among entertainment professionals and consumers.

  Source

• 2024

  The Hollywood Reporter reports further editorial layoffs[1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The publication laid off a small number of editorial employees amid continuing changes in the media business.

• 2022

  Todd Boehly reacquires assets including The Hollywood Reporter[1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Boehly withdrew from the MRC joint venture and bought back the assets he had contributed, including THR.

• 2020

  The Hollywood Reporter enters the PMRC operating joint venture[1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Penske Media Corporation assumed day-to-day operations of THR and other media properties through a joint venture with MRC.

• 2020

  Matthew Belloni steps down as editorial director[1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Belloni announced his departure after disagreements with company leadership involving editorial matters.

• 2020

  The Hollywood Reporter undergoes staff layoffs[1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The publication eliminated multiple positions, including the role held by group publisher Lynne Segall, during the industry-wide disruption caused by the COVID-19 period.

• 2010

  The Hollywood Reporter launches a weekly magazine and redesigned website[1]The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  Under Janice Min, THR replaced its daily trade-paper format with a weekly large-format magazine and a substantially refreshed digital operation.

1. 1The Hollywood Reporteren.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Hollywood Reporter official websitehollywoodreporter.com