First published in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a monthly, this professional theatre publication started in 1894 with news of the stage. After 1900, Billboard became a weekly and retooled its approach to include news of amateur theatre and other amusements such as carnivals and circuses. Beginning in 1920, Billboard also published an annual, the Billboard Index of the Legitimate Stage, before competition from many New York theatre publications led its editors to focus exclusively on popular music news.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.