The Blowing Rocket

The Blowing Rocket is a weekly newspaper in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. In 2002 the "Rocket" had a paid circulation of 3,530.

The newspaper was begun as a tabloid by state Senator C.V. Henkel in June 1932. During the 1930s and 1940s it was a seasonal newspaper, published only during the months of June, July and August. Each summer a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism was hired to edit the "Rocket".

In the 1950s the "Rocket" switched to broadsheet format and a year-round publication schedule. In 1956 the "Rocket" was acquired by Rivers Printing Company, which owned the "Watauga Democrat" in Boone.

Today the "Rocket" is part of Jones Media's High Country Media group, which includes the "Watauga Democrat", "The Avery Journal" and the "Mountain Times".

"The Blowing Rocket" has the distinction of being the last newspaper affiliated with the National Press Association to charge 10 cents for an individual copy. The "Epitaph" in Tombstone, Arizona raised its price from 10 cents to 25 cents in 1982, shortly before the "Rocket" took the same step.

References

* [http://www.blowingrocket.com/ The Blowing Rocket's Web site]

* [http://parklibrary.jomc.unc.edu/NCPAPERSCIRC2002.html The Park Library's list of North Carolina newspapers, by circulation]

* [http://www.wataugademocrat.com/2005/placecalledhome/apch_18_bw.pdf "A History of Local Media" in the Watauga Democrat's 2005 supplement, "A Place Called Home"]