The Commercial Review continued its tradition as one of the best small daily newspapers in Indiana as it took home seven awards — third most in its division — at the Indiana Associated Press Media Editors awards banquet in May 2019 after picking up 18 total honors at the Hoosier State Press Association Awards luncheon in September 2018.
The CR has finished in the top two for general excellence in the HSPA contest for six consecutive years and won back-to-back APME general excellence titles in 2017 and ’18. The newspaper has earned 117 HSPA awards over the last eight years.
Elias Marsh founded the newspaper in 1871, making it one of the oldest businesses in Jay County. It had several name changes over the years before settling on The Commercial Review when The Daily Commercial and The Evening Review merged in 1901.
The Graphic Printing Co., Inc., was founded by Hugh N. Ronald Jr. in 1946 as the Times-Journal Inc., publisher of the Redkey Times-Journal. The corporation changed its name in 1949 and launched The Graphic, a weekly publication focused on photos and features in Portland and Jay County. In 1959, the weekly bought out the daily — The Commercial Review — and the publications were combined over the next two years.
The Commercial Review is published Tuesday through Saturday with the exception of and holidays (New Years, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas) by The Graphic Printing Co. Inc., 309 W. Main St., Portland, Indiana 47371.