From Butler to Buffett: The Story Behind the Buffalo News [Hardcover]

Murray B. Light (Author), Warren E. Buffett (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004

Well known in the newspaper industry for his candour and honesty, Murray B Light presents an engrossing history of the "Buffalo News" from its start-up in 1873 to the present. Focusing on the newsroom operations of this great independent newspaper, Light puts special emphasis on the editorial staff, the editors who have guided it through the years, and the publishers who have presided over the enterprise. "From Butler to Buffet" is filled with fascinating anecdotes about many of the New's best-known staffers, including Bob Curran, Bruce Shanks, Tom Toles, Larry Felser, and Ray Hill. "From Butler to Buffet" will delight those who are interested in the western New York community, as well as appeal to readers who are interested in trends in newspapers and how changes in technology and society have affected their content and appearance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...countless interesting stories behind The News...will upset some and delight others." -- The Buffalo News, May 9, 2004

"...easily readable conversational style...critics and fans alike will enjoy reading background on Warren Buffett." -- Artvoice, May 6, 2004

From the Inside Flap

In 1873 twenty-three-year-old Edward H. Butler arrived in Buffalo, New York, to found a newspaper eventually called the BUFFALO EVENING NEWS. Under the enterprising Butler's aegis the NEWS became one of the most successful newspapers in America, growing along with the thriving city at the end of the Erie Canal, which was expanding rapidly as immigrants poured in and America urbanized. About a century later, in 1977, financial investor Warren E. Buffet, recognizing the value of the paper, bought the BUFFALO EVENING NEWS, and, to this day, despite competition from large media conglomerates, the BUFFALO NEWS (as it is now called) remains a successful independent publication.

There is no better person to tell the story of the NEWS than Murray B. Light, who held senior editorial positions at the paper for over thirty years. Beginning with the founding of the newspaper by Butler, Light provides a wealth of historical information and many in-depth, behind-the-scenes profiles of key persons who influenced the course of the paper. Chief among these is founder Edward H. Butler, a dynamic powerhouse whose enthusiasm, innovation, and high standards are still felt today. His son, Edward Butler Jr., played an important role, extending the reach of the News corporation into radio and television, as did his extraordinary wife, Kate Robinson Butler, who also served as publisher. Almost as influential as the senior Butler was Alfred H. Kirchhofer, whose strong personality and work ethic, staunch Republican Party connections, and active involvement in the Buffalo community became legendary. Readers are offered a rare inside look at the strength of leadership, attention to detail, and accuracy in reporting that are consistently needed to maintain a dedicated subscriber base through such momentous events as the Three-Mile Island nuclear disaster, the Attica prison riots, and the environmental dangers of Love Canal.

Regarding the current owner, Warren E. Buffet, Light has many interesting insights into his famous low-key, hands-off style of management. He assumed ownership of the NEWS at a critical time, bolstering its financial strength while encouraging complete editorial independence. Light also devotes a chapter to current publisher Stanford Lipsey, a longtime associate of Buffet, highlighting his leadership in the wake of the bitter court dispute with Buffalo's other daily paper, the COURIER EXPRESS.

Along the way Light offers interesting comments on newspaper trends as well as many longtime and widely read reporters and columnists, such as Ray Hill, Bob Curran, Lee Coppola, Jeff Simon, Alan Pergament, Donn Esmonde, Janice Okun, Larry Felser, and many others, and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonists Bruce Shanks, and Tom Toles.

This detailed memoir of the people and events that had a formative influence on a major regional newspaper will capture the attention of anyone interested in the history of one of America's great independent presses.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 422 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591021804
• ISBN-13: 978-1591021803
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,065,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Newspapering in five decades, May 26, 2004

By 

Ed Cuddihy (Hamburg, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Butler to Buffett: The Story Behind the Buffalo News (Hardcover)

"From Butler to Buffett" is a must read for anyone interested in the ownership style of billionaire Warren E. Buffett or for serious students of American journalism.

Long-time Buffalo News Editor Murray B. Light tells the story of how he guided this hugely successful regional newspaper into the modern era from the age of copy boys, manual typewriters and telegraph editors with green visors.

With the help of Buffett and his close friend publisher Stanford Lipsey, Light engineered the transformation of Buffalo's Gray Old Lady into a modern metropolitan daily in a city noted for its hard-hitting journalism, hard-drinking journalists and demanding newspaper junkies.

Light's research into the founding Butler family reveals insights into the outgoing founder and his reserved son that were not known outside of a select circle.

But "From Butler to Buffett" comes to life when Warren Buffett purchased the financially struggling enterprise, placed managing editor Light firmly in charge and took on the city's morning paper which had the huge financial backing of a national newspaper corporation.

Light and his newsroom colleagues never seemed to notice that "the guys down the street" with the big Sunday paper (The News was a six-day evening paper), and the guys who delivered in the morning should have won one of the last great Northeast newspaper battles of the 20th Century.

This book is full of the little tales and quick anecdotes that bring 20th century daily journalism to life. Light's newsroom is a newsroom of living characters, described in broad strokes by an editor who spoke the way he writes.

Even though it becomes obvious Light relished the Buffett years, it is just as obvious that he never lost sight of his mentor, the legendary editor Alfred H. Kirchhofer.

This is a journey well worth the effort for anyone who lived through -- or wished they lived through -- the second half of the 20th Century in an American newsroom.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Colorful, Personal History of a Newspaper, July 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: From Butler to Buffett: The Story Behind the Buffalo News (Hardcover)

I thought this book would be a dry recital of facts. I thought, what could be more boring than the story of editing stories for a small city paper? Instead I got an indepth look at the vibrant personalities that shaped a newspaper -- including some very interesting personal stories about the editors, publishers, and reporters for the news that I'm not sure we should be reading. All in all a great book.