Tulsa World Tulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa , Oklahoma , is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma , and is the second - most widely circulated newspaper in the state , after " The Oklahoman " . It was founded in 1905 and until 2013 it remained an independent newspaper , owned and operated for four generations by the Lorton family of Tulsa . The newspaper ' s circulation has dropped in recent years and the staff reduced . The newspaper shares some editorial content with " The Oklahoman " . In February 2013 the paper announced that it would be sold to Berkshire Hathaway ' s BH Media Group . In the early 1900s , " Tulsa World " fought an editorial battle in favor of building a reservoir on Spavinaw Creek , in addition to opposing the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s . The paper was jointly operated with the " Tulsa Tribune " from 1941 to 1992 . History . Republican activist James F . McCoy and Kansas journalist J . R . Brady published the first edition of " Tulsa World " on September 14 , 1905 at the time Brady was starting " Tulsa World " , he was also publishing the Indian Republican a weekly newspaper , which was previously edited by a con artist named Myron Boyle . Brady had bought the " Indian Republican " in 1905 and fired Boyle in the following year . Boyle borrowed $ 500 from Dr . S . G . Kennedy , ostensibly to pay some personal debts . Instead , he left town without repaying Dr . Kennedy Brady was sufficiently successful establishing the " Tulsa World " that it attracted a Missouri mine owner , George Bayne , and his brother - in - law , Charles Dent , who bought and ran the paper for the next five years . In 1911 , Eugene Lorton , who had just sold his stake in a Walla Walla , Washington newspaper , and moved to Tulsa , bought an interest in the " Tulsa World ' , becoming its editor , and then , with financial backing from Harry Sinclair , the sole owner and publisher in 1917 . Beginning in 1915 , " Tulsa World " fought an editorial battle advocating a proposal to build a reservoir on Spavinaw Creek and pipe the water 55 miles to Tulsa . Charles Page was among those who opposed the Spavinaw plan ; he advocated a plan in his own newspaper to sell water from the Shell Creek water system , which Page owned . Page ' s newspaper , the " Morning News " , closed in 1919 after Tulsans approved a bond issue to pipe the water from Spavinaw . He sold a companion paper , " Tulsa Democrat " , to Richard Lloyd Jones , who renamed it the " Tulsa Tribune " . In the 1920s , " Tulsa World " was known for its opposition to the Ku Klux Klan , which had risen to local prominence in the wake of the Tulsa Race Riot in the spring of 1921 . Lorton was active in Republican Party politics until he suffered defeat to the ultimate winner , William B . Pine , in the 1924 primary election for the US Senate . Lorton then supported Democrats Alfred E . Smith in the 1928 Presidential election and Franklin D . Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 . However , Lorton refused to support Roosevelt ' s third term bid in 1940 ; he returned to the Republicans and remained so for the rest of his life . " Tulsa Tribune " and " Tulsa World " entered a joint operating agreement in June 1941 . Eugene Lorton died in 1949 , leaving majority interest in the newspaper to his wife and smaller shares to four daughters and 20 employees . Eugene ' s presumed successor , Robert Lorton , had died at age 24 in 1939 . In the 1950s , his widow , Maude Lorton , transferred one - fourth of the company to attorney Byron Boone , who became publisher in 1959 . Upon her death , she left the rest of her shares to her grandson Robert . In 1964 , Robert Lorton became director of the News Publishing Corporation , which oversaw the non - editorial operations of both the " Tulsa Tribune " and " Tulsa World " . In 1968 , he became president of " Tulsa World " and publisher upon Boone ' s death in 1988 . " Tulsa Tribune " ceased operations in 1992 and " Tulsa World " acquired its assets . Robert Lorton reacquired " Tulsa World " ' s outstanding shares and made the newspaper entirely family - owned once again . In May 2005 , he passed the title of publisher to his son Robert E . Lorton III . Recent developments . As of September 2012 , weekday circulation was 95 , 003 ; Saturday circulation was 104 , 602 ; and Sunday circulation was 133 , 066 . In April 2011 , the World introduced a metered model to its digital products that limits the amount of locally produced articles that a non - subscriber can view at no charge . Once viewers have opened 10 premium stories in a month , they will be asked to purchase a subscription . The home page , classifieds and most syndicated content will remain unrestricted to all readers . " In reality , more people are engaged with our content than ever before . But it no longer seems fair to have a portion of our readers pay for our content while others do not . Therefore , like many publications , we have decided to charge a fee for our digital content . Print subscribers will continue to receive unlimited access to our digital products , " wrote then Publisher and CEO Robert E . Lorton III in a letter to readers In March 2008 , the " World " closed its zoned suburban newspapers , called the " Community World , " and laid off its 18 staff members . " Tulsa World " laid off 28 employees in early 2009 . Twenty - six newsroom employees were terminated immediately . Editors said in a memo that staff members would be challenged to produce a quality product after the layoffs , and editors asked remaining newsroom employees to take on new duties . On March 29 , 2009 , the " World " published a column by its then publisher , Robert E . Lorton III , responding to what Lorton called " an unusual amount of concerned correspondence in regard to the future of this company and our industry . " Lorton asserted that despite the difficult economy and general downward trends in the newspaper industry and the World ' s own staff cuts , that " Tulsa World " remains profitable and has a healthy capital structure . The World further reduced staff on March 1 , 2011 by terminating eighteen employees , " the result of a company - wide evaluation by management of operational efficiencies . " The " World " says " the reduction represents approximately 3 percent of its staff . " Also in January 2009 , " Tulsa World " and Oklahoma City ' s daily newspaper , " The Oklahoman " , announced a content - sharing agreement in which each paper would carry some content created by the other . The papers also said they would " focus on reducing some areas of duplication , such as sending reporters from both " The Oklahoman " and " Tulsa World " to cover routine news events . " In mid - January 2009 , " Tulsa World " filed a libel lawsuit against noted local blogger Michael Bates , " Urban Tulsa Weekly " , and the " Weekly ' s " editor and publisher , over a column Bates wrote for the weekly paper , in which Bates expressed doubts about the " World ' s " circulation numbers based on a 2006 report by the Audit Bureau of Circulation . On January 20 , " The Tulsa World " said it would drop the case against " Urban Tulsa Weekly " and its editor and publisher , after the weekly paper agreed to issue a retraction , but Bates remained a defendant . " Tulsa World ' s " decision to sue a competitor paper was criticized in a column by " Slate " editor Jack Shafer . On February 12 , 2009 , the " World " reported that Bates had issued an apology and retraction , and that the libel lawsuit had been settled on confidential terms .