Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Bellingham Publishing Company, 1911-1963
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Bellingham Publishing Company.
- Title
- Bellingham Publishing Company
- Dates
- 1911-1963 (inclusive)19111963
- Quantity
- 3.5 linear ft., (7 boxes)
- Collection Number
- XOE_CPNWS0013BPublishing (collection)
- Summary
- Includes letters, telegrams and pamphlets concerning the Bellingham Publishing Company's early efforts to establish a new radio station. The collection includes KVOS program transcripts from 1934-1937, which relate to a copyright infringement suit. Also included are miscellaneous files, newspapers, photographs of Whatcom County and Mt. Baker, and printed sheet music.
- Repository
-
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public
- Languages
- English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Bellingham Publishing Company was incorporated on September 12, 1911, under the laws of the State of Washington. The company published two newspapers in Bellingham, Washington, the Bellingham Herald and the American Reveille. By 1922, American Reveille was no longer being published and the company was only publishing the Herald. The company was owned by Sidney A. Perkins of Tacoma. In addition to the two Bellingham papers, S.A. Perkins published the Tacoma Daily News and Ledger, and daily papers in Olympia, Everett, and Chehalis. In the time covered by this collection, the Bellingham Herald was operated by Frank I. Sefrit, Vice-President and General Manager and his son Charles L. Sefrit, Business Manager, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Bellingham Publishing Company Collection spans the years 1911-1963, with the bulk of the material dated 1930-1938. The bulk of the collection consists of radio transcripts generated by the Bellingham radio station, KVOS, Inc. These and other materials in the first series of the collection pertaining to KVOS stem from the battle for control of Bellingham's media which occurred in the 1930's between the Bellingham Herald, owned by the Bellingham Publishing Company, and KVOS radio, owned by Rogan Jones. There were personal, political, and financial reasons behind the feud. Radio was a new media forum in the 1920's and by the mid-1930's was competing for advertising with newspapers. This competition in Bellingham led to several law suits and a proposal to the FCC for a radio station run by the Bellingham Publishing Company. The Bellingham Publishing Company came out on the losing side of these attempts to keep radio from becoming an accepted form of news media. Other materials in the collection include materials on the Sefrit family. Sefrit, who operated the Herald from 1911-1950, was also very interested in the areas around Mt. Baker. Sefrit was one of the pioneers and most active participants in the movement to develop the recreational advantages and attractions of the Mt. Baker area. In the 1950s, Sefrit's name was placed before the Names Board, and one of the peaks (also known as Sans Serif) in the Mt. Baker area was named after him. Also included in this series is a box of printed sheet music. The origin of this portion of the collection is unknown, but most is labeled with the name Christie E. Simpson.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Bellingham Publishing Company, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The Bellingham Publishing Company Records are organized in accordance with the following series and sub-series arrangement:
- Series I: Associated Press v. KVOS, 1935 (1930-1938)
- Sub-series 1: Correspondence, 1930-1935
- Sub-series 2: Administrative and Legal Records, 1933-1938
- Sub-series 3: KVOS Transcripts, 1934-1937
- Sub-series 4: Raw Transcripts, 1936-1937
- Series II: Sefrit Family Papers (1911-1963)
Custodial History
The Bellingham Herald donated the collection to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 1978
Processing Note
Kay Carpenter inventoried the collection in March 1981. In 2000, Megan Sibbert processed the collection. In November 2003, Amber Raney re-engineered the collection.
Processing Note
About Harmful Language and ContentTo learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content
Related Materials
For more information regarding the competition between the Bellingham Herald and KVOS radio see the Rogan Jones Collection, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series I: Associated Press v. KVOS, 1930-1938Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Sub-series
1
:
Correspondence
|
1930-1935 | |
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | Frank I. Sefrit and Charles Sefrit to Sidney A.
Perkins |
1930-1934 |
1/2 | Bellingham Herald and Graybar Electric Co. re.
proposed station |
1935 |
1/3 | Frank and Charles Sefrit and their attorneys, Matthews
and Trimble |
1935 |
1/4 | Correspondence re. hearing on proposed radio
station |
1934-1935 |
1/5 | Telegrams regarding FCC Hearing |
1935 |
Sub-series
2
:
Legal and Administrative
Records
|
1933-1938 | |
Administrative Records (re.
proposed radio station)
|
1933-35 | |
Box/Folder | ||
1/6 | Equipment brochures, |
circa 1933-1935 |
1/7 | List of KVOS programs and advertisers, |
1935 |
1/8 | Mayor Hanning's visit to the Herald's office,
|
1935 |
Oversize Folder | ||
1 | Blueprint: Bellingham Herald Building, Penthouse
Radio Station Layout |
undated |
Legal Records
|
1934-1938 | |
Box/Folder | ||
1/9 | Associated Press v. KVOS- Court Papers, |
1934-1935 |
1/10 | Associated Press v. KVOS- Materials, |
1935 |
1/11 | Materials for Federal Communications Commission
Hearing re. proposed broadcasting license, |
1934-1935 |
1/12 | Materials for Federal Communications Commission
Hearing re. proposed broadcasting license, |
1935-1937 |
1/13 | National Labor Relations Board- Records of the
Matter of KVOS, Inc. and Will D. Jenkins, |
1938 April |
Sub-series
3
:
KVOS News Transcripts
|
1934-1937 | |
Box/Folder | ||
2/1 | Transcripts |
1934 March 13-31 |
2/2 | Transcripts |
1934 April 1-13 |
2/3 | Transcripts |
1934 April 16-30 |
2/4 | Transcripts |
1934 May |
2/5 | Transcripts |
1934 August-September |
2/6 | Transcripts |
1934 October |
2/7 | Transcripts |
1934 November |
3/1 | Transcripts |
1934 December 1-15 |
3/2 | Transcripts |
1934 December 16-28 |
3/3 | Transcripts |
1935 January |
3/4 | Transcripts |
1935 February |
3/5 | Transcripts |
1935 March |
3/6 | Transcripts |
1935 April |
3/7 | Transcripts |
1935 May |
3/8 | Transcripts |
1935 June |
3/9 | Transcripts |
1935 July |
3/10 | Transcripts |
1935 August |
3/11 | Transcripts |
1935 September |
3/12 | Transcripts |
1935 October |
3/13 | Transcripts |
1935 November |
3/14 | Transcripts |
1935 December |
Sub-series
4
:
Raw News
Transcripts
These transcripts contain the hand-written
corrections created prior to airing news stories on KVOS.
|
1936-1937 | |
Box/Folder | ||
5/1 | Transcripts |
1936 January-February |
5/2 | Transcripts |
1936 March-April |
5/3 | Transcripts |
1936 May-July |
5/4 | Transcripts |
1936 August-September |
5/5 | Transcripts |
1936 October-November |
5/6 | Transcripts |
1936 December |
5/7 | Transcripts |
1937 January-February |
5/8 | Transcripts |
1937 March-May |
5/9 | Transcripts |
1937 June-August |
Series II: Sefrit Family Papers,, 1911-1963Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
6/1 | Sefrit Family Biographical Information |
1951-1963 |
6/2 | Obituaries- Frank I. Sefrit and Sidney A. Perkins,
|
1950 May 23 ; 1955 October 31 |
6/3 | Miscellaneous Brochures, Invitations, and
Announcements, |
undated |
6/4 | Copy of the Speech of Hon. Frederick C. Hicks of Long
Island in the House of Representatives Re: Mt. Baker-Shuksan Park |
1923 January 19 |
6/5 | Copies of paintings- “Spring” by Fritz Muller-Landeck “A
Mountain Retreat”, “A Sailing Warship” “Mt. Baker From Skyline” |
1936; uindated |
6/6 | Saturday Review- Olympia Edition, |
1912 May 11 |
6/7 | The Vancouver Sun (BC)- Diamond Jubilee Edition
|
1946 April 6 |
6/8 | Walla Walla Union-Bulletin- New Building Announcement,
|
circa 1947 |
6/9 | The Monthly Fashion Book (includes
patterns), |
1911 December |
6/10 | Mt. Baker Cartogram: A Pictorial Brochure |
circa 1950s |
6/11 | Certificates- to the Bellingham Herald from the Army and
Air Force, |
1948, ; 1951 |
6/12 | Photographs - Skiing at Mt. Baker, |
circa 1930s |
6/13 | Photographs - Unidentified, |
undated |
7/1-7/6 | Miscellaneous Printed Sheet Music (6
folders) |
circa 1930s |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Broadcasting--Law and legislation--United States--History--Sources.
- Newspapers--History--Sources.
- Radio broadcasting policy--United States--History.
- Radio stations--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
Personal Names
- Jones, Rogan, 1895-1972.
- Sefrit, Frank I., 1867-1950. (creator)
Corporate Names
- Associated Press--Trials, litigation, etc.
- Bellingham Publishing Company--Archives. (creator)
- KVOS-Radio (Radio station : Bellingham, Wash.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Law materials.
- Records (Documents)
Titles within the Collection
- Bellingham herald.
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Sefrit, Frank I., 1867-1950. (creator)