Hearst Metrotone News
A long-running newsreel series from the Hearst Corporation, evolving through multiple titles and branding changes.
Hearst Metrotone News was a newsreel series produced by the Hearst Corporation, founded by William Randolph Hearst. The specific title 'Hearst Metrotone News' was not used from the start; the series ran under various names until the final release under the 'News of the Day' title in 1967. Originally silent, it later adopted sound and was released under several titles before the 'Hearst Metrotone News' branding took hold, and it was renamed 'News of the Day' in 1936—a move driven both by public protests and a strategic branding shift by Hearst to distance the newsreel from his controversial political image.
- field
- Newsreel production
- active_years
- 1914–1967 (under various titles; 'Hearst Metrotone News' specific title used later, final release as 'News of the Day' in 1967)
- founder
- William Randolph Hearst
- producer
- Hearst Corporation
- also_known_as
- News of the Day (from 1936)
Lore & Background
Hearst produced silent newsreels under the titles Hearst Newsreel, International Newsreel, and MGM News before settling on Hearst Metrotone News. From January 1919 to July 1929, International Newsreel was produced by Hearst's International News Service and released by Universal Studios. In September 1929, Hearst began releasing sound newsreels under an agreement with Fox Film Corporation using the Fox Movietone sound system. That agreement was dissolved in October 1934, and from then until 1967 the newsreels were released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Reader's Guide
Hearst Metrotone News was a major American newsreel series that documented world events for over five decades, from World War I through the mid-1960s. Its significance lies in its longevity and its role in shaping public perception through the powerful Hearst media empire. The series faced controversy: in November 1936, due to protests and moviegoers booing the Hearst name, the newsreel was officially renamed News of the Day, though the Hearst Metrotone News name continued in copyright notices. The entire library was acquired in 1981 by the UCLA Film and Television Archive and held by the Packard Humanities Institute, which has scanned over 20,000 news stories and made them accessible online at newsreels.net, preserving a vital visual record of 20th-century history.
Did You Know?
- The series was renamed News of the Day in November 1936 after protests and moviegoers booing the Hearst name, as well as a deliberate branding shift by Hearst to distance the newsreel from his controversial political ima
- Hearst Metrotone News used the Fox Movietone sound system from September 1929 to October 1934.
- The Hearst Metrotone News collection (including News of the Day) was acquired by the UCLA Film and Television Archive in 1981, but not the entire Hearst newsreel library—some other Hearst newsreel materials are held else
- Over 20,000 news stories from the collection are available to view via the UCLA Film and Television Archive's own site or the Internet Archive, not on a site called newsreels.net.
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