The Plain Dealer
A major Cleveland newspaper and the principal daily print news publication serving Northeast Ohio.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Plain Dealer is a Cleveland, Ohio newspaper founded in January 1842 by brothers Joseph William Gray and Admiral Nelson Gray. The founders acquired the Cleveland Advertiser, a newspaper that had operated since 1831, and renamed it The Plain Dealer. They explained the choice as a reflection of democratic values and straightforward dealing. The name subsequently became one of the best-known newspaper titles in the United States. For much of its history, The Plain Dealer was a conventional metropolitan daily serving Cleveland and the surrounding communities of Northeast Ohio. Its reporting has covered local and state government, business, courts, education, sports, culture, and national and international affairs. The paper became the dominant major newspaper in its region after the Cleveland News ceased publication in 1960 and the Cleveland Press closed in 1982. Its broader media market is the Cleveland-Akron designated market area, which has been described as one of the largest local media markets in the United States. Ownership passed through several stages. Joseph William Gray edited and owned the newspaper, initially with his brother, until his death in 1862. After a succession of editors, real-estate investor Liberty Emery Holden acquired the paper in 1885. Following Holden's death in 1913, the ownership was held in trust for his heirs. Thomas Vail, a Holden descendant, became editor and publisher in 1963. On March 1, 1967, the Holden trustees sold the newspaper to the newspaper interests of Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr. for $54.2 million, reported at the time as the highest price paid for a U.S. newspaper. Advance Publications, owned by the Newhouse family, remains the owner. Like many metropolitan newspapers, The Plain Dealer experienced long-term circulation and advertising declines as readers and advertisers moved toward digital media. It reduced the size and frequency of its print operation, discontinued its Sunday Magazine in 2005, cut sections in 2008, and changed home delivery from seven days per week to four in August 2013. Readers could still obtain a daily electronic edition and buy print copies through stores, newsstands, and newsracks. The newspaper's digital strategy became closely linked to Cleveland.com, an online news and information site launched by Advance Publications in 1997. In 2013, Advance created the Northeast Ohio Media Group, later renamed Advance Ohio, to operate Cleveland.com, handle advertising and marketing, and manage other regional newspaper properties. The Plain Dealer Publishing Company continued to publish the print newspaper. Content has been shared between the print and digital operations, although the two organizations historically had separate staffs, offices, and employment structures. The restructuring was accompanied by substantial newsroom reductions. The paper had employed nearly 350 reporters and editors in the early 2000s, but successive buyouts, layoffs, voluntary departures, and organizational changes reduced the unionized newspaper newsroom dramatically. By 2020, the traditional Plain Dealer newsroom staff had been eliminated and the NewsGuild local associated with the paper closed. Chris Quinn, who had held senior content roles in the regional digital organization and previously worked at The Plain Dealer, was named editor and publisher of Cleveland.com and the newspaper in 2017. The Plain Dealer has received major journalism honors, including Pulitzer Prizes for editorial cartooning in 1953 and commentary in 2005. Its current identity combines a reduced-frequency print newspaper with digitally distributed journalism produced within the wider Cleveland.com and Advance Ohio structure.
History
The Plain Dealer began publication in January 1842 when Joseph William Gray and Admiral Nelson Gray took over the Cleveland Advertiser and gave it a new name. The earlier paper had been published since 1831. The founders selected “The Plain Dealer” to convey an identity based on democratic principles, directness, and honest dealing. The title may also have been influenced by an earlier New York publication called The Plaindealer, although the exact relationship is not definitive. Joseph William Gray remained the paper's owner and editor until his death in 1862. The newspaper then passed through a succession of editorial and ownership arrangements before Liberty Emery Holden purchased it in 1885. After Holden died in 1913, the paper was held in trust for his heirs. The Holden family's broader publishing interests included other Cleveland media properties. Thomas Vail, Holden's great-grandson, became editor and publisher in 1963. A major ownership transition occurred on March 1, 1967, when the Holden trustees sold the newspaper to the newspaper chain controlled by Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr. The reported $54.2 million transaction was then the highest price paid for an American newspaper. Advance Publications, the Newhouse family's media company, has continued to own The Plain Dealer. The newspaper became Cleveland's principal major daily after the Cleveland News closed in 1960 and the Cleveland Press ended publication in 1982. During the twentieth century it developed a broad metropolitan-news operation, including reporting from Ohio's state capital and Washington, D.C., as well as coverage of local institutions and communities throughout Northeast Ohio. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the newspaper faced the same structural pressures affecting much of the newspaper industry: declining circulation, reduced advertising, rising production costs, and the migration of audiences to the internet. It discontinued its long-running Sunday Magazine in 2005 and reduced its print sections in 2008. Staffing cuts, buyouts, and compensation changes followed. In 2009, employees accepted a temporary pay reduction in connection with a no-layoff arrangement. The most consequential restructuring came in 2013. Advance Publications established the Northeast Ohio Media Group, later called Advance Ohio, as a digitally oriented organization responsible for Cleveland.com, advertising, marketing, and related suburban publications. The Plain Dealer Publishing Company continued to publish the print newspaper. The arrangement allowed content to move between the print and online operations but also separated unionized print employees from a largely nonunion digital workforce. In the same year, home delivery was reduced to Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, while daily electronic and retail editions remained available. The restructuring produced labor conflict and further workforce reductions. The NewsGuild argued that the new corporate structure shifted work away from union employees and weakened the newspaper labor organization. A National Labor Relations Board complaint related to the 2013 layoffs and hiring of some remaining staff by the digital operation was settled in 2014. Additional cuts continued through the late 2010s. By 2020, the traditional Plain Dealer newsroom staff had been eliminated and the associated guild local had closed. Despite its contraction, The Plain Dealer remains an active newspaper brand and an important regional journalism institution. Its journalism has won Pulitzer Prizes, including the 1953 prize for editorial cartooning and the 2005 prize for commentary. Its contemporary presence is divided between print editions and the broader digital news ecosystem centered on Cleveland.com.
- 2020
Traditional newsroom staff reaches zero
[1]After years of reductions and transfers of work, the traditional Plain Dealer newsroom staff was eliminated.
- 2016
Northeast Ohio Media Group becomes Advance Ohio
[1]The regional digital and publishing organization adopted the Advance Ohio name.
- 2013
Digital restructuring and delivery reduction
[1]Advance launched the Northeast Ohio Media Group and The Plain Dealer reduced home delivery to four days per week.
- 2005
Sunday Magazine discontinued
[1]The newspaper ended publication of its Sunday Magazine, citing expense and economic pressures.
- 2005
Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
[1]Connie Schultz won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for work published in The Plain Dealer.
- 1997
Cleveland.com launches
[1]Advance Publications launched Cleveland.com as an online sister operation serving the Cleveland market.
- 1982
The Cleveland Press closes
[1]The closing of The Cleveland Press left The Plain Dealer as Cleveland's only major daily newspaper.
- 1967
Advance predecessor acquires The Plain Dealer
[1]Holden trustees sold the newspaper to the newspaper chain of Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr. for a reported $54.2 million.
- 1960
Cleveland News closes
[1]The closure of the Cleveland News reduced major daily newspaper competition in Cleveland.
- 1953
First Pulitzer Prize cited
[1]Edward D. Kuekes received the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for work published by the newspaper.
Products and positioning
A long-established metropolitan newspaper positioned as a principal source of local and regional news for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, with its print identity increasingly integrated with a digital publishing operation.
Newspaper · 1842
The Plain Dealer print newspaper
The core product is a Cleveland-focused print newspaper covering local government, regional affairs, business, courts, education, sports, culture, and broader news. Since 2013, home delivery has operated on a reduced four-day schedule, while additional print editions remain available through retail outlets and newsstands.
Newspaper edition
Sunday edition
The Sunday edition is one of the newspaper's principal print products and has historically carried expanded reporting and features. The former Sunday Magazine was discontinued in 2005, with related content redistributed across other sections.
Digital news platform · 1997
Cleveland.com
Cleveland.com is an online sister operation owned by Advance Publications. It provides digital news and information for Cleveland and Ohio, shares content with The Plain Dealer, and became central to the owner's digital-first regional publishing model.
Brand decisions
2013
Adopt a digitally focused operating structureStrategyBackground
Declining print circulation and advertising encouraged Advance Publications to reorganize its Northeast Ohio media operations around digital distribution.
Action taken
Advance created the Northeast Ohio Media Group, later renamed Advance Ohio, to operate Cleveland.com and handle advertising and marketing, while the Plain Dealer Publishing Company retained print publishing.
Aftermath
The structure intensified the shift toward digital publishing, separated unionized and nonunion operations, and contributed to labor disputes and further staff reductions.
2013
Reduce home delivery frequencyStrategyBackground
The newspaper sought to reduce the cost of print distribution while preserving daily digital access.
Action taken
Home delivery was reduced to Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; electronic daily editions and retail print copies continued.
Aftermath
The move marked a major change from the traditional seven-day metropolitan daily model.
2013
Restructure newsroom staffingOtherBackground
The owner and the Newspaper Guild negotiated over planned reductions after an earlier no-layoff arrangement expired.
Action taken
The organization eliminated a large portion of newsroom positions through layoffs and voluntary departures, while allowing greater movement of work between the newspaper and Cleveland.com operations.
Aftermath
The NewsGuild filed an unfair-labor-practice complaint connected with the restructuring; the matter was settled in 2014.
2005
End the Sunday MagazineStrategyBackground
The newspaper faced rising costs and difficult economic conditions.
Action taken
It discontinued the Sunday Magazine and moved some of its planned feature material into other parts of the newspaper.
Aftermath
The change reduced the scope of the traditional Sunday print package.
Recent events
- 2023
Sunday print circulation continues to decline[1]
Other
Reported Sunday print circulation had fallen to approximately 37,000 copies, illustrating the newspaper's long-term contraction in print readership.
- 2017
Chris Quinn named editor and publisher[1]
Leadership change
Advance Ohio appointed Chris Quinn editor and publisher. Quinn had previously been a senior content executive at the regional digital operation and metro editor at The Plain Dealer.
- 2013
Advance Publications restructures Northeast Ohio newspaper operations[1]
Other
Advance Publications created the Northeast Ohio Media Group, later renamed Advance Ohio, to operate Cleveland.com, manage advertising and marketing, and oversee related regional newspaper activities while the Plain Dealer Publishing Company retained responsibility for the print newspaper.
- 2013
The Plain Dealer reduces home delivery to four days per week[1]
Other
The newspaper changed its print home-delivery schedule from seven days to four days, while maintaining electronic daily access and retail availability for other print editions.
- 2013
NewsGuild challenges 2013 newsroom restructuring[1]
Lawsuit · Leadership change
After substantial layoffs and the transfer of some work to the nonunion Northeast Ohio Media Group, the union representing Plain Dealer employees filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The matter was settled in 2014.
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