Kennebec Journal

Overview

Kennebec Journal (KJ) is Maine's oldest newspaper, publishing five mornings a week and covering Augusta and the surrounding capital area and southern Kennebec County. It is jointly known with its sister paper as the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel and is part of the Maine Trust for Local News.

History

First published Jan. 8, 1825, in Augusta by owners Russell Eaton and Luther Severance. Future U.S. Secretary of State James G. Blaine owned and edited the paper from 1854 to 1857. The Daily Kennebec Journal launched Jan. 1, 1870. Guy Gannett purchased the paper in 1929, and it remained part of Guy Gannett Communications for nearly 70 years until the group's 1998 sale to Blethen Maine Newspapers, a subsidiary of The Seattle Times Company. Ownership passed to MaineToday Media in 2009 and Masthead Maine in 2015 before the National Trust for Local News acquired the paper in 2023, operating it under the Maine Trust for Local News. Starting in April 2025, the paper reduced print publication from six days to five and shifted to mail delivery via USPS.

Notable works

Marked its 200th anniversary on Jan. 8, 2025, having covered events from the Titanic sinking to the Pearl Harbor attack and the Kennedy assassination.

Key personnel

CEO and Publisher, Maine Trust for Local News: Lisa DeSisto
Managing Editor, Maine Trust for Local News (former KJ managing editor): Scott Monroe

Audience

Residents of Augusta, Hallowell, Manchester, Waterville and the Kennebec Valley of central Maine.

Location and contact info

Website
https://www.centralmaine.com
News tips
tips@metln.org