Hearst Corporation

Hearst Communications Inc. is an American multinational mass media and business information conglomerate owned by the Hearst family and based in Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Hearst owns newspapers, magazines, television channels, and television stations, including the Albany Times-Union, Houston Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman, San Francisco Chronicle, Cosmopolitan and Esquire. It owns 50 percent of the A+E Global Media cable network group and 18 percent of the sports television company ESPN Inc. The conglomerate also owns Fitch Group and First Databank. The company was founded by William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper owner who was most well known for his use of yellow journalism. The Hearst family remains involved in its ownership and management.