Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Building
808 25th St
Bellingham, WA 98225-9123
Phone: 360 650 7534
Email: cpnws@wwu.edu
XOE_CPNWS0013BPublishing
Bellingham
Publishing Company.
Bellingham Publishing
Company
1911-1963
3.5 linear ft.
7 boxes
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.
Collection materials
are in English.
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.
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.
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)
Collection is open to the public
Bellingham Publishing Company, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western
Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
The Bellingham Herald donated the collection to the Center for Pacific
Northwest Studies in 1978
Kay Carpenter inventoried the collection in March 1981. In 2000, Megan
Sibbert processed the collection. In November 2003, Amber Raney re-engineered
the collection.
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
For more information regarding the competition between the Bellingham
Herald and KVOS radio see the Rogan Jones Collection, Center for Pacific
Northwest Studies.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Sefrit, Frank I., 1867-1950.
Jones, Rogan, 1895-1972.
Bellingham Publishing Company--Archives.
Associated Press--Trials, litigation, etc.
KVOS-Radio (Radio station : Bellingham, Wash.)
Bellingham herald.
Radio stations--Washington (State)--Bellingham--History--Sources.
Radio broadcasting policy--United States--History.
Broadcasting--Law and legislation--United States--History--Sources.
Newspapers--History--Sources.
Records (Documents)
Law materials.
Business, Industry and
Labor
Publishers and
Publishing
Journalism
Sefrit, Frank I., 1867-1950.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
Series I
Associated Press v.
KVOS
1930-1938
Sub-series
1
Correspondence
1930-1935
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
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
1
Blueprint: Bellingham Herald Building, Penthouse
Radio Station Layout
undated
Legal Records
1934-1938
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
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
1936-1937
These transcripts contain the hand-written
corrections created prior to airing news stories on KVOS.
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,
1911-1963
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