Long Branch’s “hometown newspaper” was founded as a weekly in 1883 by Robert M. Stults and Louis Bennett. It began printing daily in July 1902 under “whole-souled” editor Frank M. Taylor, Jr. who called it “the people’s paper.”

Frank M. Taylor, Jr.

Sadly, the Long Branch Daily Record has been out of print for half a century now (since 1975). Too bad. The city never needed it more. After perusing its archived pages electronically — with a journalist’s eye — I’ve come to believe the newspaper was a forward-thinking one. Progressive on education and business, on race and religion, on government and politics and on the future of Long Branch. Some rarefied territory.

Taylor first got involved in September 1887 when he bought an unsteady newspaper called The Home Record. This former Chattle High School student newspaper editor would make big strides in the real print world. The Long Branch native (his father was superintendent of an early pier) “was an unusually talented and able newspaper man.” Sadly, Taylor died in July 1902 a few months after going to daily printing — having “left the city a thriving daily newspaper.” Upon the Record’s 25^th anniversary of publican in May 1927, a celebratory editorial called Taylor a man of “brilliant wit, generous impulses, fine idealism and unswerving devotion to doing what’s right.”

In 1903, John W. Slocum led a group of men that acquired the paper and published it for the next 26 years. Decedent of a pioneering city family, John more than held his own. In addition to his Record presidency, he was a distinguished lawyer, judge, banker, and President of the NJ State Senate (in 1914). One of the city’s first prominent Democrats, upon his death in May 1938 Record publishers lauded Slocum for being a “moving figure in the city’s political, social and business development.”

The paper’s longest serving publisher-owners, father-son duo Edwin and Richard DeWitt, ran the daily for nearly 30 years. Upon taking ownership, Edwin pledged that those who sell Long Branch short would be “doomed to disappointment.” In print trade-talk the men had “ink in the veins.” Edwin (1874-1963), the son of rich NJ farmer, graduated from Princeton University in 1900. Well-trained and traveled in news and advertising, he acquired the Record in September 1929. He then made Richard “Dick” (1902-1944) the editor-publisher; the son resigned in March 1941.

The paper was sold in March 1957 to Herman J. Obermayer. The WW II US Army veteran and Dartmouth honors graduate (taught by poet Robert Frost) was trained in both reporting and ad sales. Calling the Record “a force for good in the community,” he was publisher for about 15 years. He also owned a Virginia daily and was later a journalism college professor. A Philadelphia native, former Eagle Scout and devoted “Jewish activist,” Obermayer died in May 2016.

John W. Slocum

The publican enjoyed both city- and county-wide clout. Bryant B. Newcomb, who served as Record Business Manager for over 30 years (retiring in 1940), was a wired Republican. The first Long Branch “city clerk” (1903 to 1912), Newcomb was also a city mayor (1912 to 1916). Another Chattle High School graduate, he was later elected to the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders (1918-1933) and was its Director for over a decade. He died in a Broadway auto accident in February 1945. Louis Farb served as newspaper GM until 1957.

The paper’s longest serving Managing Editor — he called newspaper folks “realists” — was Houston Brown from April 1930 to 1944. Other Record top editors through the years were: William Devereaux, Benjamin Bobbitt, George White, Guion Wilson, William Bowes, Chester Beaman, R. Barry Kamm, Dorothy Grosser, Wayne Eisenimann, Dudley Thomas and William Diehl. Sam Blackman, the reporter who scooped the world on the Lindbergh baby kidnapping in 1932 and later served as AP news director and president of the American Press Institute, got his start as a Record reporter.

Other notable news people who started their careers at the LBRD were: David Culhane: a widely-respect, award-winning journalist -– would later served as the Baltimore Sun London Bureau Chief, host of the BBC’s International Magazine, and a busy reporter for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. He died in 2024. Robert Shogan: was the Los Angeles Times Washington, DC-bureau for 30+ years and authored a dozen books. Considered the “consummate reporter” who “spoke the language of politicians,” he died in 2013.

Benjamin Bobbitt, Daily Record Managing Editor from 1904 to 1917, was a “pioneer newspaperman.” Known as “Dean of local journalists,” he’d been press secretary to Woodrow Wilson when the Democrat was elected NJ governor in 1910 and then US President in 1912. When Long Branch became a city in 1905, Bobbitt was the first press secretary. In October 1917, he launched his own publication, the Monmouth American, a Long Branch-based weekly newspaper, which he owned and edited for 50 years. Remembered for his “remarkable memory and gifted pen,” the North Carolina native died in May 1967. Mildred Pearsall acquired the “All-American newspaper with punch and pep” upon his death and ran it until 1974.

As for the Record being the city’s “official newspaper” — in August 1915 the publishers offered that Long Branch history records were “scarce and fragmentary.” But upon the 50^th anniversary of publication in July 1951, Record publishers claimed that its “files constitute a history of the community.”

For three-quarters of a century (from 1896 to 1971), newspaper operations were mostly run out of an 8,000-square-foot building on lower Broadway. The composing room — including a battery of linotype machines — was on the second floor. William Embley served as pressman there for over 50 years. Circulation of the publication evolved from deliveries by Frisby Lawes on horse & wagon to seven modern delivery trucks. Carl Cohen was the paper’s longtime circulation director. Beginning in 1926 — rain or shine for 40 years — Charles “Cookie” Cook hawked newspapers on Broadway.

“The true newspaper concerns itself with the way things are and the way they ought to be.”
—Joseph Pulitzer

In the early 1920s, the Record sought to branch out. A Red Bank news bureau was opened in 1922 to cover that borough. A Freehold bureau was added in 1946 to cover Monmouth County government matters. A Bayshore bureau (the old Keansburg News) opened in March 1960. In its prime, the newspaper had 20,000+ daily readers.

Dorothy Doran Brainard was a Record staff writer for some 40 years. Her “Seen & Heard” society column — combining history, culture and entertainment — was required reading in city news. Born in 1904, she was also a poet and a former Long Branch teacher (reported to be the first woman instructor in city school history). A  city native and Chattle High School and Syracuse University graduate, she died March 1983.

In July 1961 the newspaper marked 60 years of publishing — calling their work “a public trust.” From that issue’s Editorial Page was this noble media decree: “Popularity and rightness are only compatible in rare cases. A good newspaper must both lead and follow. As a follower it must reflect the moods, enthusiasms and ambitions of the community. As a leader it must challenge the status quo, fight corruption, and propose new ideas for improved government, education and business.”

“Dottie” Grosser, 1966.

The Record probably reached the height of its influence and esteem when the paper earned prestigious “General Excellence Awards” from the New Jersey Press Association in 1959, 1961 and 1962. Long Branch native Dorothy Grosser was managing editor during that remarkable run of publishing success. Her achievements are notable. When she became managing editor, women held less than 1% of those jobs at daily newspapers across the nation. Beginning as a Record copygirl in 1936, she rose through the journalism ranks and was made top editor in 1958.

She held the job — among the city’s most respected — until April 1967. All while being a good wife and mother, too. This pioneering city newswomen, who trained generations of local reporters, was an advocate for newspapers all her professional life. In 1970, Dottie returned to editing at the Asbury Park Press and was remembered there as “integrity personified” upon her death in November 1984. “Rarely has a newsperson earned such universal respect from peers, businesses and politicians,” according to her Press colleagues.

The last Record publisher was Walter Potter, Jr. of Virginia who bought the paper in June 1971. A third generation newspaperman and former National Newspaper Association president, he changed the paper’s format from broadsheet to tabloid. The paper struggled for ad support and finally folded in October 1975. The final nail in the coffin was when the paper’s editor and 40-year newsman, Joe Eschelbach, sat for network TV news interviews with NBC and CBS.

The city had long supported newspapers. According to George H. Moss, Jr., the late Monmouth County historian, Long Branch had at least 25 newspapers in its history.

Mike Booth

Atlanticville News …

In July 1976, Michael J. Booth launched the Atlanticville, a lively weekly tabloid. For many years the newspaper operated from a Broadway building a few doors from the old Record haunt. The publication grew popular and influential — lasting for some four decades. Years of devoted readership and honest journalism earned the publication citywide clout. In June 2001, Mike and partners sold the newspaper for $1.2 million to Greater Media, Inc. That company sold its newspaper holdings in 2016 and the A’ville ceased publication shortly thereafter. Patty Booth O’Neill, Mike’s sister, launched The Link News in 2001. The city weekly printed until 2020 and is now digital.

Atlanticville logo. Launched by Michael Booth 49 years ago,  it no longer publishes. A longtime supporter of the Greater Long Branch Chamber of Commerce, Mike earned the service group’s highest honor the “Louis G. Libutti Community Service Award” in 1991.

Geraldo Rivera: He prints “puff!” — New York Daily News, July 1992.

“Ink in the Veins” — The Outlook editorial masthead, October 1947. It’s the student newspaper of Monmouth University. The college got its start at Long Branch High School in November 1933 as “Monmouth Junior College” before moving to the WLB campus in 1955. The managing editor that fall was Thomas E. Booth, Jr. The Freehold native and WW II US Army veteran died in January 1978 at age 53. His son Michael Booth was the founder/publisher of the city’s weekly Atlanticville News (from 1975 to 2001) and has been publisher of The Coaster, an Asbury Park-based weekly, since 1999.

Long Branch Daily Record

Page Turning — Old Long Branch Daily Record building on Broadway, 2020s (Link News Photo).

News Home — The Long Branch Daily Record building (l) next to J.J. Newberry store (r) on Broadway, 1960s.

New News — Daily Record owners: Herman Obermayer (l) acquires the city newspaper from Edwin DeWitt (r), Long Branch Daily Record, March 1957. Age 83 at the time of the sale, Dewitt had owned the publication since 1929 — during which time its circulation and advertising increased five-fold.

Long Branch Record building on Broadway, 1901. Before going daily which happened in 1902.

Long Branch Record front page before it went daily, early 1900s

Frank Taylor, Long Branch Daily Record Owner’s pledge, 1902. “A newspaper man by birth, inheritance, and training.”

What a Shot! — Daily Record chief photographer Paul DeNucci took this amazing shot of city firefighters at the Chattle School, March 1966. Trained as a photographer while in the US Navy for WW II, Paul won awards for his photojournalism work after joining the newspaper staff in January 1951. A city native and LBHS grad, he died in June 2011.

Bustling Broadway, 1934. The four-story Daily Record building stands tallest.

Long Branch Daily Record building front door, 1970s. The paper moved to South Seventh Avenue in 1971.

Long Branch Daily Record building, 1909. Opened in 1896.

Old Long Branch Daily Record headquarters on Broadway, 2010s. By 1932 the newspaper had a daily circulation of 4,200+ copies and an annual subscription was $6.

Charles “Cookie” Cook selling the Record on Broadway. His unmistakable voice still rings in the ears of some city residents (R. Barry Kamm Photo, May 1945). Charles died in 2001.

President Harry Truman congratulates the Daily Record on its 50 years of publishing, 1951. The city’s last daily newspaper folded in 1975.

60th Birthday — President John F. Kennedy sent this Western Union telegram to the Daily Record congratulating the newspaper on its 60th year of publishing,

No News — Long Branch Daily Record’s final editorial, October 25, 1975. The city newspaper had been a daily since May 1902.

Long Branch Daily Record bombshell frontpage, August 1967. Life magazine, Sept. 1, 1967 — HERE.

Long Branch Daily Record logo, 1975.

Long Branch Daily Record logo, 1951. By then the newspaper had 18,000+ subscribers.

Long Branch Daily Record logo, 1925.

Long Branch Daily Record logo, 1902.

Banner Headline — President JFK assassinated, Long Branch Daily Record front page, November 1963. Daily print circulation then was about 12,700 newspapers.

Long Branch Daily Record staff, December 1943. “The remarkable growth of Monmouth County … is due in no small part to the fearless, constructive and free expression of thought exercised by the Daily Record.” —US Congressman James Auchincloss, (R-NJ), July 1951.

“Mr. Long Branch” — R. Barry Kamm, assistant city editor, Long Branch Daily Record, July 1951. “The Long Branch Daily Record has been good for the city — it’s on our side,” said Barry in 1969. He also served as Record managing editor, sports editor and led the newspaper’s photography department. A 1932 LBHS grad, Barry attended Kent State and worked at LBDR from 1942 to 1960 (serving as managing editor from 1956-1958). Barry left his mark in the city’s government, fire company, first aid squad and school sports — holding important positions in all.  The classic “town-crier,” he was city’s PR man for 17 years. His popular “Kamm’s Korner” column in the Atlaticville anchored the city’s weekly newspaper for over a decade. City born and a Broadway fixture, he died in November 1992.

Paul DeNucci, staff photographer, Long Branch Daily Record, July 1951.

Long Branch News and Times

Long Branch News building, 1868. Launched in 1863 by Anthony Reckless and Rev. Robert T. Middleditch as an offshoot of the Red Bank Standard. With Long Branch hotel businesses clamoring for a regular newspaper, Captain James B. Morris, a Civil War vet and Freehold resident, acquired the paper in 1866. He renamed it and moved all print operations to Long Branch. By 1872, W. Jacob Stults had acquired the paper. An August 1899 Red Bank Daily Register profile called him a “virile writer and hustling businessman.” Considered a “country newspaper” — it became “as good as any in the state” and “one of the most profitable.” After Stults sold the paper in 1887 for $9,000 it “went to pieces.” Born in Hightstown in 1830, Stults was publisher of his village newspaper before his 20th birthday. He would return to Hightstown in 1907 to run the Gazette. He died in January 1916. His son, Robert M. Stults, had founded the Long Branch Record in 1883.

“Revealed by Ruins” — What’s left after the old Rockwell Hotel is torn down. Long Branch Daily Record, October 1956. The Long Branch Times building was at Broadway and Rockwell Avenue. Alden T. Hyde launched the “Republican” weekly newspaper in 1890.

The Echo

Print Pioneer — “The Echo” newspaper, April 1905. Launched in 1904 by William Elijah Rock in Long Branch, it was New Jersey’s first black-owned newspaper.

The Echo front page, June 1912. The publication relocated to Red Bank in 1909, Rock died in June 1933 and it folded in 1943.

Red Bank Daily Register

The Red Bank Daily Register opened a branch office in Long Branch at the Garfield-Grant Hotel on Broadway, March 1965. At the time the newspaper had a 25,000 circulation.

Radio Days in Long Branch …

All that remains of the old radio station tower off Broadway, 2019. Launched by the Long Branch Broadcast Company (Umberto Mazzacco, Dr. John Gesualdi, Harry Brody, and Orlando Biamonte were the owners) in October 1960 as WRLB-FM 107.1, it was live from 6 am to 11 pm, 7 days’ week. Joseph Tomaino was the first station manager and Larry Bass its first Music Director. The first station announcers were: Fred LaVerne, James Wilson, and Tom Marinelli. In 1973, John and James Mazzacco and Phil DeSantis acquired the station. The company was sold for $534,000 in March 1982. The station changed names several times (Y-107, WMJY/107, WWUU/ You 107, Seaview 107, “The Breeze”) in the ensuring years and today operates as WWZY 107.1 The Boss.

WRLB-FM Radio ad, Long Branch Daily Record, December 1972. The radio station studios and transmitter were at 156 Broadway. It was the first in the nation to adopt stereo programming.

Old radio station tower. Lower Broadway, 2021. The 265-foot antenna went up in 1974 replacing the first 150-foot tower from 1963. The first signal covered a 35-mile radius.