The Times Union is an American daily newspaper, serving the Capital Region of New York. Although the newspaper focuses on Albany and its suburbs, it covers all parts of the four-county area, including the cities of Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The paper was founded in 1856 as the Morning Times, becoming Times-Union by 1891, and was purchased by William Randolph Hearst in 1924. The sister paper Knickerbocker News merged with the Times Union in 1988. The newspaper has been online since 1996.