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   “The Old Gray Lady, Arkansas’s First Newspaper,” a 2006 documentary film that tells the story of the late Arkansas Gazette, will air on the Arkansas Educational Television Network Friday, April 13 at 9 p.m. 

   The documentary traces the Gazette from its origins under William E. Woodruff in November 1819 - 17 years before Arkansas became a state - until it closed Oct. 18, 1991, when the Gannett Corporation sold its assets to Walter Hussman, owner of the Arkansas Democrat, who then changed the name of his publication to reflect his purchase. 

   For nearly 172 years, the Arkansas Gazette served as the newspaper of record for Arkansans. Under the watchful eye of J.N. Heiskell, who served as editor from 1902 until his death in 1972, the Gazette became one of the most progressive and literary newspapers in America. During the racially charged climate of the 1950s, in spite of advertising boycotts, subscription cancellations and threats of violence, the Gazette stood for law and order and decency against the segregationist administration of Gov. Orval Faubus. For that stance, the Gazette won two Pulitzer Prizes. 

   Academy Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen, who grew up in North Little Rock, provides the voice of the newspaper. Independent filmmaker Kevin Thomas Clark directed the 90-minute film, working in collaboration with the University of Central Arkansas’s Joseph Anderson, executive producer, and Donna Lampkin Stephens, producer.  

   The documentary premiered at the Clinton Presidential Center Oct. 18, 2006, the 15^th anniversary of the closing of what was then the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River. The film is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Department of Arkansas Heritage. It is funded in part by grants from an anonymous donor, the Fred Darragh Foundation, the UCA Foundation and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. 

   The Arkansas Educational Television Network (www.aetn.org) provides lifelong learning opportunities, improves and enhances Arkansans’ lives and celebrates the unique culture of Arkansas through its programming and services. AETN’s analog and digital transmitters and numerous cable system connections give it statewide reach.

 

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