Pittsburgh Post - Gazette The Pittsburgh Post - Gazette , also known simply as the " PG " , is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , United States . It has won six Pulitzer prizes since 1938 . Early history . The paper began publication on July 29 , 1786 , with the encouragement of Hugh Henry Brackenridge as a four - page weekly , initially called " The Gazette " . It was the first newspaper published west of the Allegheny Mountains . Published by Joseph Hall and John Scull , the paper covered the start of the nation . As one of its first major articles , the Post Gazette published the newly adopted Constitution of the United States . In 1828 , the paper was sold to Morgan Neville , and the name briefly changed to " Pittsburgh Gazette and Manufacturing and Mercantile Advertiser " . In 1829 , Neville sold the paper to David McClean , who reverted to the former title . In 1844 , the paper became a morning daily paper . Although the paper ' s editorial stance at the time was conservative , the paper was credited with helping to organize a local chapter of the new Republican Party , and with contributing to the election of Abraham Lincoln . The paper was one of the first to suggest tensions between North and South would erupt in war . After a consolidation of papers in 1866 , the paper was again renamed and was then known as the " Commercial Gazette " . In 1900 , George T . Oliver acquired the paper , merged it with another paper ( The " Pittsburgh Times " ) and formed a new paper , " The Gazette Times " . After several more mergers of newspapers in Pittsburgh , including the " Dispatch " , publisher Paul Block bought the paper in 1927 and it became the " Post - Gazette " on August 2 . Joint operating agreement . In 1960 , Pittsburgh had three daily papers : the " Post - Gazette " in the morning , and the " Pittsburgh Press " and the " Pittsburgh Sun - Telegraph " in the evening and on Sunday . The " Post - Gazette " bought the " Sun - Telegraph " ( which had bought the old " Chronicle - Telegraph " ) , and moved into the " Sun - Telegraph " ' s Grant Street offices . The " Post - Gazette " tried to publish a Sunday paper to compete with the " Sunday Press " but it was not profitable ; rising costs in general were challenging the company ' s bottom line . In November 1961 , the " Post - Gazette " entered into an agreement with the Pittsburgh Press Company to combine their production and advertising sales operations . The " Post - Gazette " owned and operated its own news and editorial departments , but production and distribution of the paper was handled by the larger Press office . This agreement stayed in place for over 30 years . Strike , consolidation , new competition . On May 17 , 1992 , a strike by workers for the " Press " shut down publication of the " Press " ; the joint operating agreement meant that the " Post - Gazette " also ceased to publish . During the strike , the Scripps Howard company sold the " Press " to the liberal Block family , owners of the " Post - Gazette " . The Blocks did not resume printing the " Press " , and when the labor issue was resolved and publishing resumed , the " Post - Gazette " became the city ' s major paper , under the full masthead name " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette Sun - Telegraph / The Pittsburgh Press " . The Block ownership did not take this opportunity to address labor costs , which had led to sale of the " Press " . This would come back to haunt them and lead to financial problems ( see " Financial Challenges " below ) . During the strike , publisher Richard Mellon Scaife expanded his paper , the " Greensburg Tribune - Review " , based in the county seat of adjoining Westmoreland County , where it had published for years . While maintaining the original paper in its facilities in Greensburg , he expanded it with a new Pittsburgh edition to serve the city and its suburbs . Scaife named this paper the " Pittsburgh Tribune - Review " . Scaife has invested significant amounts of capital into upgraded facilities , separate offices and newsroom on Pittsburgh ' s North Side and a state of the art production facility in Marshall Township north of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County . Relations between the " Post - Gazette " and " Tribune - Review " are often competitive and frequently hostile , given Scaife ' s longstanding distaste for what he considered the Blocks ' liberalism . On November 14 , 2011 , the " Post - Gazette " revived the " Pittsburgh Press " as an afternoon online newspaper . Community presence . The newspaper sponsored a major 23 , 000 seat outdoor amphitheater in Burgettstown , Pennsylvania , the " Post - Gazette Pavilion " , although it is still often referred to as " Star Lake " , based on the original name , " Star Lake Amphitheater " , and later " Coca - Cola Star Lake Amphitheater " under the former sponsor . They gave up naming rights in 2010 . First Niagara Bank , which had entered the Pittsburgh market the year before after acquiring National City branches from Pittsburgh - based PNC Financial Services , took over the naming rights to the facility and is now known as the First Niagara Pavilion . The newspaper once had ventures in television . In 1957 , the Post - Gazette launched WIIC - TV ( now WPXI ) as the area ' s first full - time NBC affiliate three years after Westinghouse Electric ' s Group W spurned NBC for CBS with its newly acquired former DuMont O & O WDTV ( now KDKA - TV ) despite KDKA Radio ' s longtime affiliation with NBC Radio . The Post - Gazette sold off the station to current owner Cox Enterprises in 1964 . Although the Post - Gazette and WPXI have on occasion had some news partnerships , the Post - Gazette ' s primary news partner is now ironically KDKA - TV . Financial challenges . In September 2006 , the paper disclosed that it is experiencing financial challenges , largely related to its labor costs . The paper also disclosed it had not been profitable since printing had resumed in 1993 . As a result of these issues , the paper is considering a number of options , including putting the paper up for sale . While deep concern about the paper ' s future ensued , negotiations proved fruitful and in February , 2007 the paper ' s unions ratified a new agreement with management mandating job cuts , changes in funding health care benefits and so forth . Awards . The " Post - Gazette " won Pulitzers in 1938 , 1986 , 1987 and 1998 . It is generally accepted that the paper would have won a Pulitzer in 1964 but chose not to run the iconic Y . A . Tittle picture that one of its photographers took at Pitt Stadium . The photo would go on to win awards , hang in the Pro Football Hall of Fame , be used for the back cover of Tittle ' s autobiography and used in a Miller Beer High - Life commercial in 2005 . Prices . " Post - Gazette " per copy prices are : daily , $ 0 . 75 & Sunday / Thanksgiving Day , $ 2 . Outside Allegheny / neighbouring counties the rates are : daily , $ 1 & Sunday / Thanksgiving Day , $ 2 .