The History of Newspapers in Troy
• May 18, 1872: James N. Jarvis published the first issue of The Commercial Call.
• 1873: The name was changed to The Weekly Bulletin.
• 1881: The newspaper and plant were sold to George M. Armstrong, then later sold to Henry
B. Morris.
• 1885: James Jarvis established the Troy Record, bought The Bulletin, and merged the two.
• 1886: The Record was sold to L.K. Pauley, who ran it for three months before it was taken
back in foreclosure of mortgage.
• 1886: The Record was suspended and Jarvis continued in the printing business until October.
• 1886: The plant was sold to Henry A. Miller and Fred W. Miller, who established The Troy
Monitor. It was later sold to Samuel W. Rawson and George C. Hartung.
• 1893: George Hartung established The Troy Star.
• 1894: Hartung sold the paper to Joseph R. Edwards and August Droll, who completed the
first volume of The Troy Star before establishing The Weekly Call. Edwards later sold his
interest in the paper to Droll.
• 1896: Droll leased the plant to Anderson L. Bounds and B.W. Jarvis.
• 1899: B.W. Jarvis became the sole owner of The Weekly Call. It was the first weekly
newspaper in the county to install a typesetting and linecasting machine.
• 1946: Jarvis, due to poor health, closed The Call. Troy was left without a paper for another
year.
• 1948: Paul Simon, 19, with the help of the Troy Lions Club, purchased the newspaper and
changed the name to The Troy Tribune.
• 1950s: The paper was sold to Ray Johnsen, who published it until the mid 1960s.
• 1967: The Troy Tribune was sold to Paul R. Ping of O’Fallon.
• 1978: Paul Ping sold the paper to Howard Wood, a sports reporter at the paper.
• 1985: Paul Ping, under Newsprint Ink., began Troy’s second paper and named it The Troy
Times.
• 1987: The Troy Tribune merged with the The Troy Times, with Paul Ping as Publisher/
Editor.
• 2016: Paul Ping remains publisher/executive editor. Staff includes: Steve Rensberry (editor);
Sue Yates (production assistant); J.W. Campbell (reporter), Norma Mendoza (reporter),
Ellen Proctor (reporter/sales), Mae Grapperhaus (reporter); Masja LaRue (receptionist);
and Susan Miller (classified/clerical).
Timeline of Names
The Commercial Call — The Weekly Bulletin — Troy Record — The Bulletin — The Troy Star
The Weekly Call — The Call — The Troy Tribune — The Troy Times
The Troy Times-Tribune–Times Tribune