The history of the Press traces back to an effort by Thomas J. Keenan Jr. to buy The Pittsburg Times newspaper, at which he was employed as city editor.

Joining Keenan in his endeavor were reporter John S. Ritenour of the Pittsburgh Post, Charles W. Houston of the city clerk's office, and U.S. Representative Thomas M.

[1] After examining the Times and finding it in a poor state, the group changed course and decided to start a new penny paper in hopes that it would flourish in a local market full of two- and three-cent dailies.

The Teamsters employees finally walked off the job on May 17, effectively putting a halt to the publication of the Press and the Post-Gazette.

With the increasing rise of electronic media, and more younger readers not reading newspapers, the Press could no longer sustain the union practices of the past.

A short sound bite on national TV by the then-mayor supporting the unions was the death knell, and Scripps-Howard consequently ended the newspaper.

[citation needed] In return for the sale of the Press, Scripps received The Monterey County Herald.

On November 14, 2011, Block Communications announced that it was bringing back the Press in an online-only edition for the afternoon, effective immediately.