| Back to e-WV The West Virginia Encyclopedia

Fairmont Times West Virginian

The Times West Virginian is the daily newspaper in Fairmont. It traces its roots to 1866 when J. N. Boyd’s Vedette began publication in Fairmont. In 1868, the name of the Vedette was changed to the West Virginian when it was sold to the Reverend Josiah Dillon. After various changes in ownership the West Virginian became a daily in 1904.

The competing Fairmont Times was first published as an evening paper in 1900 by Gen. C. L. Smith and O. S. McKinney. Its first Sunday morning edition was published in 1918. The Fairmont Times moved into the building where the West Virginian was located in 1926. The two papers maintained separate identities, although both were published by the Fairmont Newspaper Publishing Company.

In 1931, the Sunday paper became the Times West Virginian, combining the names of the two papers with the editorial staff of the West Virginian responsible for its publication. In 1934, Ogden Newspapers of Wheeling purchased the morning Fairmont Times, the evening West Virginian, and the Sunday Times West Virginian. In 1963, Thomson Newspapers of Canada purchased these papers. In 1975, the two daily newspapers made the first move toward one paper with essentially two editions, with only two pages made over for the afternoon West Virginian. In 1976, the West Virginian suspended publication and only a seven-day-a-week Times West Virginian was published.

In 1999, the Fairmont Times West Virginian was purchased by Community Newspaper Holdings. The 2016 circulation was 10,571 but had increased to more than 11,000 by 2023, making it one of the few newspapers in the state to increase circulation during that time period.