Cleburne Times-Review

Yes, it’s true, the Times-Review was a more colorful newspaper to read, and notably to be employed by, in the early to middle years of the 20th Century. One editor, Harold Ratliff, was known to stand behind the front desk with a baseball bat at his side when visitors stopped by to discuss the finer points of journalism. Harold’s specialty in those days was crime. Another editor, Jack Proctor, took things even further. He irked a reader so terribly with a trial report that the reader punched out Proctor at the Liberty Hotel cafe. Proctor, knowing a scoop when he saw one, printed a story of the fight, as well as a picture of his black eye, on the next day’s front page. Cleburne has always been a good journalism town — partly, one can say, because there was always quite a bit to cover. The Cleburne Chronicle, 108 E. Chambers St., was for many years the county’s leading newspaper. J.C. Scurlock sold it in 1904 to J.C. Scott, who later sold it to Hardy Solomon in 1911. It was sold to J.P. Chambless, who published the paper semi-weekly. U.A. Anderson then bought the paper and sold part of his interest to John W. Murphy in 1916. Anderson then bought out Murphy, and The Chronicle ceased publication, although its job shop continued operation. The paper had published as a weekly several years before it ceased publication. In 1895, J.R. Ransone Jr. published the Cleburne Daily Enterprise and the Cleburne Weekly Enterprise. In 1924, the equipment was purchased by a stock company, which on Jan. 2 of that year printed the first issue of the Cleburne Daily Times. Another early paper, whose history has continued under various owners and names, was the Johnson County Review, established in April, 1891 by J.A. Templeton and H.E. Oldfather. The paper was printed as an eight-page, five-column publication in a plant on the second floor of a brick building at the southwest corner of the courthouse square. Col. T.B. Baillio, from Rapides Parish, La., became one of its owners and editors in 1892. O.H. Poole, who was connected with the company, continued the paper as its manager, under the name of the Cleburne Morning Review. On Oct. 1, 1928, the Cleburne Morning Review and the Cleburne Daily Times were purchased by the Southwest Newspapers Inc. and consolidated into the Times-Review, which is the present publication and the only daily in the county. The consolidation of the Morning Review and Times on Oct. 1, 1928, was heralded in a page-one story that called it “a progressive move in the newspaper business of the city.” O.H. Poole was chairman and George W. Bowman manager of the new concern, which boasted modern equipment and full-leased wire news reports by teletype. In 1937, the paper was purchased by C.C. Woodson, who operated it until 1940, when it was purchased by Walter Murray, who owned newspapers in Ranger, Eastland and Breckenridge. He also owned the Mineral Wells Index. William Rawland, who had served in the advertising and bookkeeping departments and as business manager of the Times-Review, purchased an interest in the publication and took over as publisher for Murray. In 1948, Rawland purchased the Times-Review outright and remained at the helm until 1976, when he sold the newspaper to Donrey Media Group. In 1950, the Times-Review added teletypesetter equipment and was the first newspaper in Texas to join the new TTS United Press circuit. The Times-Review was published six days a week with no Saturday edition in those days. By the ’50s, the paper had 25 employees and 20 carriers, in addition to the executive group — Rawland, Proctor and business manager Peyton Lawson. Now fully modernized, the Times-Review is owned by CNHI, LLC. Publisher Lisa Chappell took over for Kay Helms, who retired in December 2017 after 37 years. Monica Faram serves as the managing editor. In September 2024, the Times-Review moved to a new office at 315 S. Caddo St., still in downtown Cleburne. It is published two days a week in print and online everyday and can be accessed on its website cleburnetimesreview.com.

Monica Faram – Managing Editor

📞 817-645-2441

📍 315 S Caddo St, Cleburne, TX 76031

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