The first issue of the Corpus Christi "Caller" was published on January 21, 1883. It was established by Eli Merriman, owner of the Corpus Christi "Free Press", Ed Williams, co-owner of the "Semi-Weekly Ledger", and W. P. Caruthers, who is credited with naming the "Caller". One of the original stockholders was King Ranch founder Captain Richard King.
W. E. Pope, who was to represent Corpus Christi in the state legislature for many years, purchased the town's "Daily Democrat" in 1917 and renamed it the "Times". Eleven years later he sold it to Houston Harte of San Angelo and Bernard Hanks of Abilene, owners of several Texas newspapers. In 1929 the "Caller" was purchased by the Harte-Hanks group and the two papers were combined as the Corpus Christi "Caller-Times" with Grady Kinsolving as publisher.
The "Caller-Times" has outlasted over two dozen newspapers that have served the city since the first two, the "Gazette" and the "Star", were published in the 1840s. The "Caller" and the "Times" were in two separate locations until operations were consolidated at a third site in 1929. The newspapers have been published at the present location since 1935.
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