Patuxent Publishing Company’s History
In June of 1969 the Columbia Flier was born, on the second birthday of the “new town” that had become a focal point of the Baltimore/Washington corridor. The Flier’s first issue, complete with an ad as its cover, was a mere eight page, 7xl0-inch “shopper.” Delivered free to 2,000 households, editorial copy was limited to a calendar of events and an introduction by then owner and publisher S. Zeke Orlinsky.
Two years later, the irregularly published Flier went weekly. Its circulation had soared to 9,000, with households receiving news as well as advertising. In November of 1971, Jean F. Moon joined the Flier as a freelance writer. Sixteen months later, she was editor, and six months after that, she was named general manager. She became a minority partner in 1974 and remained with the company until 1995.
The Flier’s success was nothing short of remarkable. The paper ran 64 tabloid pages on its fifth birthday. The first 100-page issue came in May of 1976. Two years later, the staff moved to the Columbia Flier building. On November 1, 1978, Orlinsky and Moon sold majority control of the company to Whitney Communications Corporation, a New York-based firm. Exactly one year after the sale, Patuxent Publishing Company (PPC) purchased five newspapers. The acquisition—which included the Arbutus Times, Catonsville Times, Howard County Times, Northeast Booster and Northeast Reporter—more than doubled the company’s staff.
Eight months later, in July of 1980, the company purchased the Laurel Leader. In late 1984, PPC further strengthened its position in the Baltimore/Washington corridor by winning the contract to publish Soundoff!,the Ft. Meade-based newspaper serving the army personnel and civilians working on the base and at the National Security Agency (NSA).
Just one year later, PPC took another leap forward, purchasing a community telephone directory business. Currently, eight telephone books, dating as early as 1969, are published for the communities of Bowie, Carroll County, Catonsville, Crofton, Harford County, Howard County, Laurel, and Olney. In January of 1988, PPC moved into a new area of publishing with the purchase of Columbia Magazine, which was converted to a bimonthly publication.
The largest acquisition to date came in May of 1988 with the purchase of the Times Publishing Group, which added the Baltimore Messenger, The Jeffersonian, Owings Mills Times and Towson Times to PPC’s roster of community newspapers. Then in 1996, the North County News was added.
In September of 1997, PPC was sold to The Baltimore Sun Company, a subsidiary of The Times Mirror Company, the Fortune 500 Company based in Los Angeles. Patuxent Publishing Company and sister company, Homestead Publishing Company, together form the Baltimore Sun Community Newspaper Group. Homestead Publishing produces The Aegis, The Record, The Weekenders and APG News.
In the fall of 1998, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Towson Times, PPC introduced its newest publication, Towson Magazine. Then, in June of 2000, PPC, along with the entire Times Mirror Company, merged with the Tribune Company, a leading media company with operations in television and radio broadcasting, publishing, education and interactive ventures. In 2001, PPC acquired Maryland Family Magazine and the other publications of the former Alliance Media, Inc.
In 2004, PPC made a big step forward and acquired The Eldersburg Eagle and launched The Westminster Eagle. Shortly after, in January of 2005, PPC once again moved into a new area of publishing by purchasing ChesapeakeHome, a regional lifestyle magazine.