Our History

The Guymon Daily Herald traces its roots back to 1886 when R.B. Quinn founded the town of Hardesty and became publisher of the Hardesty Herald which was the second newspaper to be started in No Man's Land. Quinn apparently moved the paper to Guymon since the first Herald appeared in Guymon in 1891. The weekly publication was published by Quinn until 1907. Even though the local population was only 300, Quinn claimed 951 readers. An ancient Ramage wooden press was used to produce the newspaper. Warren Zimmerman acquired the Herald from Quinn in 1907.

Zimmerman as born in Kansas in 1880 and moved to Oklahoma in 1905. By 1916, J.Q. Denny had become the editor-publisher. Giles E. Miller took over in 1919-1920 and returned the founding date to 1890 for the weekly newspaper that was serving the community that had grown to 1,800. Around 1925, the name was changed to the Panhandle Herald. Although various editors were listed, Miller remained the publisher for many years. He was aided by editors Peyton Reavis, B.R. Hays, John W. Dexter and others.

In 1931, the Texas County News was established with E.H. Lunch as editor of the weekly independent paper. Roscoe Belcher and A. Fields were in charge by 1933-1934 with Belcher as publisher for the next several years.

Others associated with the News included Chester Johnson, Arthur O. Acenbom, W.H. Wells and B.R. Hays. Early in the 1940s, the Panhandle News-Herald, an independent weekly was listed. In the 1950s, the name Daily Herald appeared with Raymond H. Fields actiing as publisher of the paper along with another publication, the Observer.

Fields acquired the Observer in September 1952 from Don DeWolfe, Dwight Davis and Don Dale. In 1966, Donrey Media Group acquired the Herald. Shortly after that acquisition, plans were completed for a new offset plant and, in 1967, opening ceremonies were held at the newspaper's present location, in a 5,577 square foot building at 515 N. Ellison.

Donrey sold the Daily Herald to Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI), which later sold to Horizon Publications, 2003, Inc. in September 2003.

The Goss Community press is the only newspaper press facility in this part of the state and produces weeklies from all across the region.

The Daily Herald itself is proudly printed back at home once again in full color front and back.

The Guymon Daily Herald is the only Oklahoma newspaper serving the entire region with more than 2,400 newspapers each day, six days a week. Over the past several years, The GDH has won numerous prestigious awards from both the Oklahoma Press Association and the Panhandle Press Association.

The GDH prides itself in being a voice for the people and a true community advocate. 

Our Staff

There are 14 employees working at the newspaper plant with modern computers and software.

General Manager Allison Gipe has moved through the ranks at The Daily Herald, most recently as the paper's Advertising Manager. She was named General Manager in March 2007 and loves serving the community in this capacity.

Circulation Manager Peggy Martinez joined The Daily Herald in January 2003. She is a graduate of Guymon High School and earned an accounting degree from Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell. She manages two employees and his the proud mom of Heather (11).

Managing Editor Katie Martire joined The Daily Herald staff in January 2009 as a reporter. In October 2009, Katie was promoted to her current position of Managing Editor. A lifelong resident of Guymon, she is married to Nick. She attended Guymon Schools and is the proud mom of Brooklyn and step mom of Isaiah and Nicholas. Katie and her staff have earned numerous awards from both the Oklahoma Press Association and the Panhandle Press Association.

Lead Reporter Travis Ruiz is a familiar face to Guymon. Born and raised in the Panhandle, Travis knows what issues are important to readers. He graduated as a Valedictorian from Guymon High School in 2008 and is currently a broadcast news major at West Texas A&M University where he is a junior. Back at college, Travis hosts a morning radio show and political talk show for  KWTS 91.1FM and has previously served as the news director and director of a video news service to the local CBS affiliate. He continues to work closely with local television stations, providing them with Guymon news. Travis joined The Daily Herald staff as a reporter and fill-in managing editor during the summer of 2009 and frequents the pages of The Guymon Daily Herald with his critically-acclaimed column, "TotallyTRAV." In late 2009, Travis completely re-designed the newspaper and earned an award from the Panhandle Press Association for it. He has also won several awards from the Oklahoma Press Association, The Houston Press Club and is a national champion in On-the-Spot news from The National Broadcasting Society. Trav aspires to be a television news reporter, specializing in consumer reporting.

Sports Editor Shawn Yorks rejoined the Guymon Daily Herald staff on April 26, 2010 after a 6-month leave of absence. Shawn spent his time away from Guymon as staff photographer in Enid, Okla., where he won an Associated Press photography award. Shawn was sports editor in 2008-2009 and had been managing editor from 2005-2007.