The Press Democrat
 The February 28, 2012, front page of The Press Democrat | |
| Type | Dailynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Sonoma Media Investments LLC |
| Editor | John D'Anna, Interim Executive Editor |
| Founded | 1897 (as theSonoma Democrat) |
| Headquarters | 416 B Street Santa Rosa,California95401  United States38°26′30″N122°42′54″W/ 38.441743°N 122.714944°W |
| Circulation | 20,000 Daily 25,000 Sunday 18,000 Digital Only (as of 2023)[1] |
| Sister newspapers | Sonoma Index-Tribune,Argus-Courier |
| ISSN | 0747-220X |
| Website | pressdemocrat |
| Free online archives | cdnc.ucr.edu(1875-1928) |
The Press Democrat,with the largest circulation inCalifornia'sNorth Bay,is a dailynewspaperpublished inSanta Rosa, California.
History
[edit]
The newspaper was founded in 1897 by Ernest L. Finley, who merged hisEvening Pressand Thomas Thompson'sSonoma Democrat(originally created as a voice for theDemocratic Party). Finley bought theSanta Rosa Republicanin 1927 and merged it withThe Press Democratin 1948.
Finley, his wife Ruth Woolsey Finley, daughter Ruth Finley Person, and son-in-law Evert B. Person owned and published the "PD" between 1897 and 1985. After the death of his wife in 1985, Evert Person sold the paper toThe New York Times Company.
The most popular feature inThe Press Democratfor many years wasGaye LeBaron's community column, according to a readership survey. LeBaron produced more than 8,000 columns between 1961 and her semi-retirement in 2001, writing onhuman interest,cultural events, ethnic history and local politics.[2][3]
Along withThe Press Democrat,The New York Times Company bought theNorth Bay Business Journaland thePetaluma Argus-Courier;all were acquired by Halifax Media Group in January 2012. Less than a year later, in November 2012, Halifax resold its California papers to a local ownership group, Sonoma Media Investments, LLC, which included formercongressmanDouglas H. Bosco,[4]Jean Schulz, the widow ofPeanutscomic strip creatorCharles M. Schulz,and Norma Betz Person, widow ofThe Press Democrat's former publisher Evert Person.[5]
In 2019, Sonoma Media Investments acquired theSonoma County GazetteofForestville,a monthly newspaper.[6]
Awards and honors
[edit]The Press Democrat's staff was the winner of the2018Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reportingfor "[f]or lucid and tenacious coverage of historic wildfires that ravaged the city of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County."[7]Former staff photographerAnnie Wellsalso won the1997Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography"for her dramatic photograph of a local firefighter rescuing a teenager from raging floodwaters."[8]
The newspaper was also the 2004 recipient of theGeorge Polk Awardfor Regional Reporting,[9]given annually byLong Island Universityto honor contributions to journalistic integrity and investigative reporting.
References
[edit]- ^"Audit Bureau of Circulation".Audit Bureau of Circulation's eCirc numbers for figures reported 3/31/2007.RetrievedJuly 9,2007.
- ^Tesconi, Tim (18 March 2001)."Voice of the Community".The Press Democrat.Retrieved24 November2016.
- ^Silverstein, Louis (1990).Newspaper Design for The Times.Van Nostrand Reinhold. p. 260.ISBN0442283210.
- ^"Local group to buy The Press Democrat, affiliated publications".1 November 2012.Retrieved17 August2018.
- ^"It's official: Press Democrat sold to local group".8 November 2012.Retrieved17 August2018.
- ^"Press Democrat owner adds to media holdings, acquiring monthly hyperlocal publication".The North Bay Business Journal.2019-12-30.Retrieved2020-09-06.
- ^Pulitzer Prizes."Pulitzer Prize".pulitzer.org.Retrieved17 August2018.
- ^Pulitzer Prizes."Pulitzer Prize".pulitzer.org.Retrieved17 August2018.
- ^"George Polk Awards for Journalism press release".Long Island University.RetrievedNovember 22,2006.
External links
[edit]Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting(2001–2025) | ||
|---|---|---|
|  | |