The Rockford Register Star is the primary daily newspaper of the Rockford, Illinois, metropolitan area. The fifth-highest circulation newspaper in Illinois, the Register Star takes its name from the 1979 merger of two predecessors, the Register Republic (founded February 15, 1855, daily since January 6, 1873) and the Morning Star (founded March 20, 1888). The Register Star is currently owned by Gannett, which reacquired the paper upon merging with GateHouse Media in 2019. Gannett had previously owned the paper and its predecessors from 1967 to 2007.