The Star - Ledger The Star - Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U . S . state of New Jersey and is based in Newark . It is a sister paper to " The Jersey Journal " of Jersey City , " The Times " of Trenton and the " Staten Island Advance " , all of which are owned by Advance Publications . " The Newark Star - Ledger " ' s daily circulation is larger than the next two largest New Jersey newspapers combined and its Sunday circulation is larger than the next three papers combined . The Star - Ledger ' s main competitor in New Jersey is " The Record " , which is based in Bergen County . History . The " Newark Daily Advertiser " , founded in 1832 , was Newark ' s first daily newspaper . It subsequently evolved into the " Newark Star - Eagle " , owned by what eventually became Block Communications . S . I . Newhouse bought the " Star - Eagle " from Block and merged it with the " Newark Ledger , " which he ' d bought in 1939 , to become the " Newark Star - Ledger " . The paper dropped Newark from its masthead sometime in the 1970s , but it is still popularly called the " Newark Star - Ledger " by many New Jersey residents because of its heritage and its editorial location . During the 1960s " The Star - Ledger " ’ s chief competitor was the " Newark Evening News " , once the most popular newspaper in New Jersey . In March 1971 , the " Star - Ledger " surpassed the " Evening News " in daily circulation , because the Newark News was on strike . The " Evening News " shut down in 1972 . Perhaps learning a lesson after the " Newark Evening News " ’ disastrous move to a high traffic area ( trapping its delivery trucks in inner - city traffic ) the " Star - Ledger " opened a satellite plant in Piscataway . The Piscataway location offered quick access to Union , Monmouth , Somerset , and Middlesex counties . The " Star - Ledger " was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 2005 for its comprehensive and clear - headed coverage of the resignation of the Governor of New Jersey Jim McGreevey , after he confessed to adultery with a male lover . The paper awards the Star - Ledger Trophy each year to high school teams that end up as the number one team in their respective sport in the state of New Jersey . 2000s financial troubles . In 2005 , George Arwady became the publisher of " The Star - Ledger " . A graduate of Columbia University , Arwady had previously been the publisher of the " Kalamazoo Gazette " in Kalamazoo , Michigan . Having worked closely with the Newhouse family for years , Arwady was asked to move to Newark to financially revamp the paper . Because the paper was losing money , parent company Advance Publications said on July 31 , 2008 that it would sell the " Star - Ledger " unless it could get 200 of its non - union staff to voluntarily leave under a buyout offer , and its unionized truck drivers and mailers to agree to concessions . On September 16 publisher George Arwady sent employees a status update by e - mail , saying that management felt progress had been made on the buyout and concessions from the mailers , but that management is " far from an agreement with the Drivers ’ union . " . The email continued : On October 24 , 2008 , the newspaper announced that 168 newsroom employees had offered to take the company ' s buyout offer , and that the company had accepted 151 of them , which resulted in a newsroom staff that was 40 % smaller . On Jan . 16 , 2013 , the newspaper announced layoffs of 34 employees including 18 newsroom staff . Management . Executive editors . In 1995 , following the retirement of 32 - year veteran editor Mort Pye , Jim Willse was appointed the editor of the Ledger . Willse was the former editor and publisher of the " New York Daily News " . Prior to accepting the Ledger ' s editor Willse headed up the review of electronic information options for all Newhouse newspapers . He also expanded the " Ledger " < nowiki > ' s < / nowiki > use of color and encouraged a more aggressive editorial team . The National Press Foundation named Willse its 1999 recipient of the George Beveridge Editor of the Year Award in recognition of Ledger ' s coverage of racial profiling by the New Jersey State Police . Upon Willse ' s retirement in October 2009 , managing editor Kevin Whitmer took over as editor . Prices . The Star - Ledger prices are : $ 1 . 00 daily and $ 2 . 00 Sunday .