Background
He is the son of prominent Philadelphia publisher J. David Stern.
He is the son of prominent Philadelphia publisher J. David Stern.
In 1949, he purchased the New Orleans Item-Tribune for $2 million. He ran the paper until its 1958 merger. He is the author of the Francis the Talking Mule books that later became a film series.
In 1958, the Item-Tribune merged with the Daily States (founded in 1880) to form the New Orleans Daily States-Item.
In 1962, publisher and businessman Samuel I. Newhouse bought the morning Times-Picayune as well as the afternoon States-Item, which continued to be published separately until they were merged and combined in 1980.