East Bay Express About Us

ABOUT US

ERIN KILMER-NEELExecutive DirectorSustainable Business Alliance & Oakland Grown

“I don’t know what local weekly newspapers are like in other cities, but the East Bay Express is freaking amazing. Way more than a paper,they are a community partner in the strongest sense of the word.They know and connect just about everyone that is doing anything progressive in the East Bay and even San Francisco. They throw the best parties that bring together all of the diversity of our community while simultaneously allowing us residents to discover new music, food, drink, art, fashion, and activism that we didn’t even realize our neighbors were creating. Always an amazing time. They help hundreds of nonprofits through their creative ideas, connections, advertising and other partnerships. The East Bay Express is the biggest small (aka locally-owned and independent) business supporter you’ll find. They are always finding ways to help our in-dependent business association build “buy local” campaigns and find new ways to get the word out. They really work to build not only advertising opportunities and plans that meet the needs of the variety of our businesses and their budgets, but also create and foster special tools and publications to support them. There isn’t a day that goes by that our organization hasn’t been helped by the East Bay Express in some way. We are extremely lucky to have them.”

COMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITY IMPACT“The East Bay Express has long been a trusted source of local news and happenings but never has its community voice been stronger or more relevant. Under the visionary and success-driven leadership of Publisher, Jody Colley, the Express has broadened its influence through productive partnerships that have strengthened both the paper - and the community. Giving voice to Oakland’s diverse, intricate network of locally-owned independent businesses, artists, venues and nonprofits, the Express has played a key role in fueling our city’s cultural and economic renaissance. A major example is the support the paper provides to scores of large-scale annual festivals - a growth industry for Oakland that attracts upwards to four million visitors and generates millions in economic impact. A highly respected and a well-liked business and civic leader, the Express has set a new standard for the role of local media in fostering economic sustainability and social change. From strategic advertising and promotional support to sponsoring myriad community events, the Express has distinguished itself through a proven track record of effectively balancing its editorial and business operations in a manner that maintains objectivity in both. The Express has a keen eye on economic and social trends and leads a team that has its finger on the pulse of East Bay life and culture like no other. Whether producing ground-breaking events such as its 2011 Progressive Opportunities Conference, co-producing the City’s flagship Art + Soul festival, or in pioneering the nationally-recognized Oakland Grown campaign, the Express is an essential partner in East Bay commerce and culture. Simply put, the East Bay is a stronger, more sustainable place to live, work and experience with the Express in its corner.”

SAMEE ROBERTSMarketing Director

City of Oakland

FounderArt & Soul Festival

18-24

18.8%

112.6%

317.3%

445.3%

220.2%

# of Issues Read Per Month

1-256%

3-418%

5-64%

7+2.5%

# of Times VisitedEastBayExpress.com Per Week

Various Facts

Gender Profile Age Profile Education Profile Education

Male

52%Female

48%25-34

28.5%35-44

17.6%45-54

17.6%

College Degree

41.2%

H.S. Grad or Less

7.9%

Some College

18.8%

Advanced Degree

32.1%

Under 40K

20.1%60K-100K

25.4%40K-60K

17%100K+

23%No Answer

14.5%65+

11.5%55-64

6%

Average Age: 44

Read 3-4 issues each month: 72.1%

Papers get read more than once: 70.9%

Readers also use EastBayExpress.com: 67.9%

Readers’ households have a pet: 79.4%

Readers have shopped locally at least once in the last 30 days: 97.6% 36.4% of them 10 or more times

Percent of readers have spent between $100-$500+ on clothing in the last 30 days: 40%

EBX READERS

EBX READERSMost Popular Sections

Cover Story & News: 78%Restaurant Reviews: 67%Arts & Culture: 60%Film: 53%Music: 50%Savage Love: 40%Lecture & Books: 32%

Classifieds: 12%

Our Readers’ Careers

Education, Training, Library: 14%Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, Media: 12%Attending College: 10% (60% are full time)Management Position: 10%Office and Administrative Support: 8%Sales and Related: 6%Business/Financial: 5%Computer/Mathematical: 5%

Compared to market average, Express readers skew highly educated, affluent, socially and physically active, creative, and informed.

Weekly papers like the Express have always successfully reached what marketers call “The Influentials”. Influentials are the engines of word-of-mouth marketing,

identifying and influencing trends before they become mainstream popular thinking. Their reach has only increased with new social media tools.

Influentials are highly engaged citizens, leaders, and advocates, and they are passionate about causes dear to their hearts. They are the friend you go to when

you want a recommendation on where to eat, what to read, or what to buy.

EBXReader

Their Followers

OUR ADVERTISERS“I have had the pleasure of working with the Express at both the San Francisco Symphony and at the Oakland Museum of California. They have been a wonderful resource; both efficient and reliable, offering up suggestions and helping layout advertising plans. I am happy to have the Express as my advertising partner, and look forward to continuing to work with them.”

— Stacy Lucier Oakland Museum of California

“Being an entertainment company with loca-tions across the Bay Area, we feel the varying impact of different advertising campaigns in different markets. The East Bay Express has by far the most impact of any print media we work with in any market at this point. The East Bay Express is the key link to our customers and our most reliable advertising vehicle to our key demographic.”

— Jason Perkins The New Parish, Brick & Mortar Music Hall, The Rock Steady, Place Pigalle, Leo’s

“We have the best account rep we could ever ask for at the Express. She is very friendly and professional and is an excellent commu-nicator. She also has a great sense of urgen-cy and excellent follow-through. The Express staff constantly keeps our main goals of selling more beer and gaining new accounts in mind when planning programming, and they also utilizes their awesome restaurant and bar connections to benefit us where they can. They have a thorough understanding of our brand DNA and my personal client needs.”

— April Dougan Trumer Pils Brauerei, Berkeley

OUR ADVERTISERS“The Express is a positive force in the community and has wonderful enthusiasm for our events and collaboration. We have appreciated their flexibility and can-do attitude. They are professional and fun and a treat to work with!”

— Camilla Lombard Good Vibrations

“I wouldn’t think of advertising in the East Bay without utilizing East Bay Express. Everyone at the publication make it a point to know our business and are always developing new and innovative ways to reach our consumers.”

— Karla Keller Anheuser-Busch, LLC

“The East Bay Express is a great paper and wonderful media partner. They really stepped up to help us promote our 25th anniversary season. We love the creative, eye-catching ads they’re producing for us, and we especially love reaching their young, engaged readership.”

— Debbi Hersh Oakland East Bay Symphony

“The Express is a vital part of our community and works hard to support local art and business. They consistently offer innovative new services to promote companies and non-profits at a reasonable rate. I personally appreciate their attention to detail, boundless energy, and sense of humor, and look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

— Michele Kappel-Stone Agent Stone & Co. (clients

include the Starry Plough and the Art Beat Foundation)

“I have to say at first I was hesitant about advertising in a local paper. Lots of my other friends who are business owners in Oakland had told me to stick to online advertising because that’s where the market’s attention span is. I thought about it a great deal and finally said to myself ‘my target audience still reads print they love books, zines, magazines, graffiti art, etc. Hell, my target audience still listens to vinyl records and cassette tapes.’ With that being said, I inquired with East Bay Express about advertising, still hesitant because my small bar/restaurant was on a strict budget. They sent a nice advertising rep to talk to me. Much to my surprise, their ad rates were very affordable and they were totally willing to work with me on price and size to meet my needs. I was also impressed by how they worked on hitting targeted audiences with their articles and circulation. For a local bar or restaurant owner, I would say advertising in the East Bay Express is essential. It’s a great, affordable way to reach the people in your community who you want as customers in your specific place of business. Also, I like the articles they write, so for me it’s a slam dunk.”

— Jason Herbers Eli’s Mile High Club and Couyon Kitchen

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONSArticle: Prize: Category:

Warning: Quake in 60 Seconds 1st place AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award

The Digital Sweatshop 1st place Business/Technology Story

Moneyball 2.0: The Pitching Whisperer 1st place Sports Story

Feinstein’s Folly 1st place Continuing Coverage

Oakland Police Department 1st place Series

Traveling Bands Do Not Cross 1st place Entertainment Category

Full Disclosures 1st place News Columns

The Road Less Traveled 1st place Sports Story

From Brown to Green 1st place Analysis

Sex By Numbers, The Shrinking Stage,

Boys in a Book Club 1st place Arts and Culture

Oakland Invades the Desert 1st place Feature Stories of a Serious Nature

Be Cool 1st place Editorial Design & Page Design

Yelp and the Business of Extortion, 2.0;

Yelp Extortion Allegations Stack Up 1st place In-Depth, Investigative Reporting

Full Disclosures 1st place Best Columnist

You’re Not an Environmentalist

If You’re Also a NIMBY 1st place Best Analysis

The Lost Runner 1st place Profile

Subcultures - Best of the East Bay 1st place Page Design

Writers, Unblocked 1st place Lifestyle Feature

The Torture Professor 1st place Opinion Writing

Tip of the Iceberg 1st place Best Analysis

When the Mind Splits 1st place Long-Form News

Moral Combat 1st place LGBT-Gender Equality

OUR HISTORYSince 1978, the East Bay Express has been the region’s leading voice in investigative long-form journalism and arts and culture coverage. In fact, as one of the last bastions of in-depth local reporting, the Express has proven an indispensable asset to the community, one that has doggedly investigated local issues that no other journalism organization covers nearly as comprehensively or with as much impact. We inform and engage our community in a way that is essential to a healthy democracy.

The Express also has set itself apart over the years through its courageous reporting and dedication to truth telling. For example, we were the first news organization to expose the abhorrent dealings of what was effectively an Oakland-based criminal enterprise — Your Black Muslim Bakery. Our investigative sto-ries not only won numerous awards for excellence in journalism, but the outcome of our reports revealed a dangerous situation: One of our staff writers was forced into hiding to protect his own safety, and then several years later, an editor from another news outlet was murdered by the head of the cult when he was working on his own series of stories.

Reporters and editors at the Express also take great care in approaching controversial topics with objec-tivity and fairness. Yet we’re not afraid to speak the truth when we find it. As such, we don’t publish false equivalencies in an attempt at achieving “balance.” We leave stories like “Republicans say Obamacare has death panels; Democrats say it doesn’t it” to mainstream newspapers. If we discover in our reporting that there are no “death panels,” we say so. For us, truth is paramount, and so we’ve also published nu-merous investigative reports that challenged the preconceived notions held not only by some of our staff members, but also some of our readers.

We also regularly publish some of the most comprehensive political and election coverage in Northern California. We view it as our civic duty to closely examine political races and contests so that our read-ers are fully informed. We have also worked with good government groups, such as the Oakland League of Women Voters, to promote transparency in government and elections, particularly when it comes to campaign finance. And over the years, we have won numerous regional, state, and national awards for exposing political corruption.

OUR HISTORY

But the Express is known for far more than its hard-hitting news coverage. We also are the premiere tastemakers of the East Bay for arts, culture, music, and food, providing readers with a weekly-curated list of can’t-miss events and must-see attractions. Food, in particular, is vitally important to the fabric our community, and no other publication covers the diverse dining scene as smartly or as comprehensively as we do. Every week, our food critic reviews local restaurants — from the hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pop joint to the latest venture by a hot-name chef in Oakland’s bourgeoning Uptown district — as well as producing a column on news and trends in food. While other publications only focus on superficial coverage, the Express goes deeper, as we do in our news coverage, shining a light on how various food-related issues affect the community. For example, our 2011 cover story “How Peet’s Starbucked Itself” detailed how the local coffee empire Peet’s Coffee & Tea has become increasingly corporate and the negative effects it’s caused on its employees; the story won two awards from the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club and was nominated for a prestigious James Beard award. Our story on the dangers of toxics in soil had widespread appeal to the local urban agriculture community and won an award from the North American Agricultural Journalists Association.

The Express also regularly produces in-depth reports on important environmental issues in the San Francisco Bay Area and the state. Many of our stories have affected change and have been credited with helping protect endangered wilderness areas and threatened species. For example, a series of investigative stories we published on a proposed mining operation next to the Sunol and Ohlone Regional Wilderness areas in the East Bay helped prompt a settlement agreement between the mining operator and environmental groups that included strong protections for tule elk and golden eagles. In addition, a series of in-depth reports we published on a giant new dam planned for a pristine section of the Mokelumne River in the Sierra foothills helped spur widespread opposition to the proposal that eventually forced the East Bay Municipal Utility District to drop the idea.

Similarly, our culture reporting has been equally robust — and indispensable. Our critics cover visual art, theater, dance, movies, books, and music, recommending the best events the area has to offer. We have hands-down the most robust arts and culture listings of any media organization in town, with a database that boasts hundreds of listings every week, helping to connect readers with local arts organizations and their happenings. Meanwhile, other papers and media organizations have eliminated or drastically reduced their culture coverage.

It’s well known that the arts can have a major impact on a local economy, and nowhere is that more apparent than the East Bay. In the last several years, the arts scene has exploded, in Oakland in partic-ular, thanks to the monthly Art Murmur and First Fridays, and the fact that artists and musicians have been increasingly priced out of the San Francisco market. The result has been a more thriving down-town, with an influx of new businesses. The Express has been a leader in the coverage of this move-ment, looking at topics such as the complicated effects of Oakland’s sudden national popularity, the explosion of underground (and illegal) warehouse venues, and how the influx of new residents to the city have impacted rent prices. As a result, our culture reporting has won numerous awards from regional and local journalism organizations, including the Society of Professional Journalists’ Northern California chapter and the East Bay Press Club.

OUR HISTORY

Almost every month, our special issues highlight local businesses and trends even further: Our annual Best of the East Bay spotlights hundreds of local businesses, people, and places, giving special insight into the many benefits of living and working in the East Bay. Twice annually, our Taste issue is devot-ed to all things food-related, from the latest restaurant trends to the best places to get fried chicken. Other special issues include our annual Sex issue, which reveals the many ways in which community members express and explore their sexuality; our Pets issue, a guide on the various aspects of taking care of our furry and feathered friends; our Summer Guide, which outlines the best ways to enjoy the season, from recreational activities to the best books to read on the beach; our Insider’s Guide, which gives readers (local and non-) the scoop on the area’s best spots for food, nightlife, arts, shopping, and recreation; and our Holiday Guide, which highlights the best gifts and ways to enjoy the holiday season. We also have a special Bikes issue, a Back to School issue, a New Year’s Eve Guide, and, new this year, Fall Fashion. Our special issues are vital to the health of our small business community, as we highlight many independent and locally owned businesses.

OUR HISTORY

While the challenges that journalism face are very real, compared to daily papers, the Express is uniquely positioned to be at the forefront of innovation in the field, from creating more opportunities for reader engagement to collaborations between journalism organizations to presenting information in unique and compelling ways.

We believe in holding politicians accountable and uncovering societal injus-tices, just as much as we believe in being the tastemakers in arts, food, music, movies, and theater. As critics and curators, we’re not afraid to piss people off in search of the truth. Whether it’s through the web, smartphone, tablet, or old-fashioned newsprint, the Express will continue its mission of being the leading voice of the East Bay, delivering highly curated coverage and original reporting on the most important things happening in our communities.

NONPROFITS WE SUPPORTAIDS Project of the East Bay Alameda County Community Food BankAlameda County Green Business ProgramAlbany Film FestivalArt in NatureArtsFestAsian Art Museum Bay Area Roller Derby GirlsBay LocalizeBerkeley Chamber of CommerceBerkeley Free ClinicBlack Rock Arts FoundationBusiness Alliance for Local Living EconomiesBuy Local BerkeleyChildren’s HospitalCAFF: Community Alliance with Family FarmersCREGS: Center for Research and Education on

Gender and Sexualityde Young Museum of San FranciscoEast Bay Asian Local Development Corporation East Bay Bike CoalitionEast Bay Green Drinks

Network of Bay Area Worker CooperativesOakland Art Murmur/First FridaysOakland GrownOakland Indie AwardsOakland Museum of California Oakland Pride Oakland Underground Film FestivalOakland Veggie WeekOaktoberfest in the DimondOne PacificCoast Foundation and BankPacific Coast Farmers AssociationPedalFestProArts & East Bay Open StudiosSF Aids FoundationSustainable Business AllianceSustainable Economies Law CenterThe Sage ProjectTri-City Health CenterWalk Oakland, Bike OaklandWardrobe for OpportunityWomen’s Cancer Resource Center … and MORE!

East Bay Green Tours East Bay Social ForumFair Trade BerkeleyGirls, Inc. Habitat for HumanityInstitute of Urban Homesteading Jewish Community Center of the East BayJewish Film Festival Jewish Music FestivalKALA Art InstituteLeague of Women VotersLesher Center for the ArtsLeukemia and Lymphoma SocietyLincoln Child CenterLivermore Valley Performing Arts CenterMaddie’s Fund Marin Mammal InstituteOakland Mayor’s Toy DriveMiddle East Children’s Alliance

(MECA for Peace)Mill Valley Film FestivalMission Creek Music Festival

SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSESWe’ve Got Your Back

The East Bay Express co-founded Oakland Grown, a 501(c)(6) non-profit committed to advocating for sustainable business practices and supporting Oakland’s independent businesses and artists. We are also partners with similar independent business associations, such as Buy Local Berkeley, Sustainable Business Alliance, and the San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Association. At the Express, we dedicate countless hours and resources to promoting the economic, social, and environmental benefits of supporting our community’s small businesses.

EBX Web Services

In partnership with Oakland-based tech firm, LocalOn, the East Bay Express has brought Bay Area small businesses website solutions with built-in social media tools, making it easier and more affordable than ever to manage their online presence. From the easiest-to-use custom websites you can find, to the integration with local business alliances, neighborhood associ-ations, and trade organizations, we’ve built a network that pro-motes websites and messages to tens of thousands of locals seamlessly and with little effort.

Find out more at EastBayExpress.com/WebServices.

EBX Design Services

We understand that working with design firms and ad agencies is cost prohibitive for many small businesses. Therefore, we offer free ad design for campaigns that run within the pages of our paper or website. As an additional paid service, the Express design team can help with additional design projects. We have created logos, post-cards, posters, t-shirts, program guides, billboards, print ads, web ads, menus, and more. Contact us to discuss your project needs in detail and to receive a quote.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Bikes Mean Business ............4Three local businesses are recognized for their efforts to better accommodate, encourage and reward cyclists. See how they benefit in turn.

Bike Happy Hour Party in Old Oakland .....................................14Celebrate bicycling in the East Bay at the biggest and best ever Bike Happy Hour Party.

Participate in Bike to Work Day ............................... 8May is Bike Month! Stop by an Energizer Station along your commute route and fill up on snacks, giveaways and good vibes.

BIKE TO WORK DAY GUIDEMAY 8, 2014

EVENT MARKETING & SPONSORSHIPS

Get Your Brand in front of LocalsThe East Bay Express not only sponsors some of the best events, fairs, and fes-tivals in the region, but we also produce them as well. From our Best of the East Bay Party (25,000 attendees) to our Scream Horror Film Festival (250 attend-ees), we have a wide range of opportunities for your business to engage with locals. We specialize in creative integration of your marketing goals with that of successful event production that keeps attendees coming back again and again. Custom event production is available based on your budget, objectives, and time frame; contact us to discuss. If you are looking for sponsorship of your nonprofit 501 (c)(3) event, contact us for a Sponsorship Request Form.

PRESS RELEASESWe focus on long-form stories on a variety of topics: politics, news, environment, medical marijuana, food, and arts and culture. And we write about upcoming cultural events. Three things we look for in stories: news, local angle, and TENSION (strain, hostility, uneasiness, controversy). We love stories that have a counterintuitive element — for example, you thought X about Y topic, but the real story is Z. We’re also interested in trend stories, particularly for our special issues. These don’t necessarily need tension. We don’t often profile one business or organization but we write about them if they’re connected to or affected by a local issue or trend.

CONTACT US

SEND NEWSY STUFF TO: [email protected]

SEND NON-MUSIC EVENTS LISTINGS TO: [email protected]

SEND MUSIC EVENTS LISTINGS TO: [email protected]

Include the 5 W’s – Who, What, When, Where & Why

DOs and DON’Ts Insider tips for submitting Press ReleasesDO tell us how/why it’s relevant to our readers (stress local angle and be specific — “Oakland,” “Berkeley,” “Alameda,” etc.). DO personalize your email.DO understand that we get hundreds of emails per day, so you need to grab our attention (focus on headline and first paragraph).DO send press releases far enough in advance (if it’s tied to an event) so that we have enough time to consider covering them. For the music section and in special issues, we book at least a month in advance.DO make it clear where we can easily download hi-res images (if you have them).DO NOT send an email with an attachment and no message in the body. Those get deleted.DO NOT pitch us stories about a profile of an organization or business that lacks an angle or tension.DO NOT ask us to reprint a press release.

BAY AREA MEDIA OWNERSWe at the Express compiled ownership information on most of the print/online media companies in the Bay Area. If you’re curious about who is behind the publications you see, read, advertise in, etc., then enjoy!

Digital First Media – Private LLC (chartered in Delaware) formed by the merger in December 2013 of Media News Group (previous owner of the East Bay region’s newspapers) and 21st Century Media. Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund (Delaware LLC), is the majority owner (http://www.adviserinfo.sec.gov/Iapd/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Bro-chure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=244862). 76% of Alden Global Capital’s investors are non-US persons, probably offshore registered LLCs used mainly by wealthy Americans to dodge federal and state taxes. Alden manages $2.7 billion. Alden registers its investment funds in the Cayman Islands to avoid U.S. taxes. It uses services of administrators (book keeping and records) in Dublin to dodge U.S. and European taxes. It’s very secretive and doesn’t let slip records of its investors, although its advisor brochure on file with the SEC explains that it does accept pension, endowment, and other institutional investor money.In September 2014 the Digital First Media’s board decided to “explore strategic alternatives” meaning selling the newspaper chain, possibly in pieces, or shutting down parts. (http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/digital-media-explore-strategic-alternatives/).

Hearst Corporation – Private Corporation headquartered in New York with operations center in North Carolina. Hearst Corp. owns numerous print media publications, mainly lifestyle magazines, and has major digital media holdings. Hearst owns part of ESPN, probably the most lu-crative piece of the media holdings. The Hearst family still controls a big stake in the company, and William Randolph Hearst III is a socialite in San Francisco’s elite scene. He keeps a condo on Pacific Avenue. Hearst Corporation owns several valuable office properties in San Francisco, including 400 Montgomery Street • San Francisco Chronicle

• Oakland Tribune (Oakland)• San Jose Mercury News (San Jose)• Contra Costa Times (Contra Costa County)• The Argus (Fremont)• East County Times (Walnut Creek)• Hayward Daily Review (Hayward)• Marin Independent Journal (Novato)• San Mateo County Times (San Mateo)• San Ramon Valley Times (Walnut Creek)• Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz)

• Silicon Valley.com (San Jose)• Tri-Valley Times (Walnut Creek)• Monterey County Herald (Monterey)• Vacaville Reporter (Vacaville)• Vallejo Times Herald (Vallejo)• Fremont Bulletin (online Fremont)• InsideBayArea (East Bay web)• Milpitas Post (online Milpitas)• Pacifica Tribune (Pacifica, online only)• The Alameda Journal (Alameda)

• Berkeley Voice (Berkeley, online)• Cupertino Courier (Cupertino, online)• The Journal (El Cerrito, online)• Los Gatos Weekly Times (Los Gatos, online)• Piedmonter (Oakland, online)• Montclarion (Oakland, online, print)• And other now defunct dailies and weeklies folded into the Insidebayarea.com mono-media.

Cerberus and Apollo Global, two aggressive private equity firms are now said to be considering purchasing the East Bay newspapers from DFM. Stay tuned!

BAY AREA MEDIA OWNERSInformation compiled in February 2015 by the East Bay Express – locally owned & independent.

Boulevards New Media, Inc. – Also owned by Dan Pulcrano, has obtained lucrative URLs for dozens of U.S. cities (e.g. losangeles.com, sanfran-cisco.com) and publishes visitor guides. No news content, but probably generates steady income stream to subsidize other Pulcrano ventures.

San Francisco Print Media Co. – Private corporation (registered Delaware), now owned by Black Press, Ltd, a Canadian newspaper giant headquartered in Victoria, B.C., strings pulled mainly by David H. Black who is the majority owner. Black likely doesn’t handle the San Francisco investments directly as they’re a tiny part of his publishing empire.Bored with dominating Canada’s media-scape, David Black reportedly wants to build an oil refinery and export terminal in Canada to ship tar sands to China (https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/5q--david-black--media-mogul-and-wannabe-oilman-184428552.html). Last year in a news-paper he owns, Black argued that building his refinery would benefit the environment by preventing a possible bitumen spill at sea. (http://www.castlegarnews.com/opinion/259415961.html) • San Francisco Examiner • SF Weekly • San Francisco Bay Guardian (recently shuttered)

• SF Evergreen (new marijuana publication, print and web) • Bay Area Reporter (may own a partial stake, unclear, see below)

Metro Newspapers – Owned by Dan Pulcrano, a San Jose publisher and businessman who has been consolidating media in Silicon Valley since the early 1990s. Pulcrano’s first holding company, Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, was assembled through his founding the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, then purchasing the Saratoga News, Cupertino Courier, Willow Glen Resident, which were eventually sold to Digital First Media. • San Jose Metro (Alt Weekly, print and web) • North Bay Bohemian (Alt Weekly, print and web) • San Jose Inside (online news site)

Last year Pulcrano added to his newspaper holdings by purchasing four newspapers from the MainStreet Media Group. MainStreet Media was a portfolio company of a Connecticut-based private equity firm, The Brookside Group, (http://www.brooksideequity.com/Portfolio/Prior_detail.aspx) and after sale of the company’s holdings, MainStreet Media appears to have gone out of business judging by its web site - http://www.mainstreetmg.com/. • Good Times (Santa Cruz, print) • Gilroy Dispatch

• Morgan Hill Times • Hollister Freelance and SanBenitoToday.com

Telegraph Media – Founded September 2013, headquartered 1305 Franklin Street in Oakland, owns several magazines with East Bay focus. Owned by Steven Buel and his wife Judith Gallman, and apparently still some ownership interest held by Robert and Tracy McKean. (http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Oakland-Magazine/December-2013/Telegraph-Media-enters-the-arena/)

Robert and Tracy McKean also own and publish Parent’s Press. (http://www.parentspress.com/Parents-Press/Contact-Us/) • Oakland magazine • Alameda magazine

• East Bay Medical Guide • The Monthly


Modern Luxury – Company styles itself as the “preeminent luxury lifestyle publisher in the United States.” Boasts 40 titles in the U.S., including magazines marketed to residents of the Hamptons, Aspen, CO, and of course San Francisco magazine, which mostly is filled with glossy ads, but occasionally, has long-form journalism about regional politics and current events. In 2010 the Dickeys, a wealthy Atlanta family that controls Cumulus Media, a radio conglomerate, bought Modern Luxury. The companies were not merged, however, so the Dickeys retain ownership of Modern Luxury separately. Little else is known about the magazine group’s business. • San Francisco Magazine

Advance Publications – Private corporation, one of the largest in the United States, valued in the billions. They own 20 newspapers in at least ten states (http://www.advance.net/index.ssf?/advance_internet/newspapers.html) as well as the Conde Naste Publications, The New Yorker, Parade Magazine, and Golf Digest. They own the American City Business Journals which publish papers in most major cities, including San Francisco and Silicon Valley.Advance Publications is owned by the Newhouse family, inheritors of a media empire assembled first by Samuel Newhouse Sr. in the early to mid-1900s. • San Francisco Business Times • Silicon Valley Business Times (San Jose)

Embarcadero Media – Headquartered in Palo Alto, small media company was founded in 1979 and remains owned by its CEO Bill Johnson and approximately 30 other individual shareholders. (http://www.embarcaderomediagroup.com/about/our-story) • Palo Alto Weekly • The Almanac (Menlo Park) • Mountain View Voice

• Pleasanton Weekly • Palo Alto Online

Metropolitan Media, Inc. – Incorporated in Texas with main business address listed as San Francisco, run by Chloe Harris. Harris is the editor of 7x7 Magazine (recently went online only) which she purchased, using her father’s money, from McEvoy Media LLC in January 2014 for undis-closed sum. (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/01/7x7-magazine-editor-buys-publication.html) Harris’s father, John Harris, is chairman of Metropolitan Media, Inc. and appears to reside in Dallas. It’s unclear where John Harris’s money comes from. • 7x7 (recently shuttered print, online only)


San Francisco Bay View – Owned and operated by Willie Ratcliff and Mary Ratcliffe, SF’s Black newspaper based in the Bayview. Small paper, no real staff, little revenue. Alameda Sun – Small daily in Alameda. Appears to be independently owned. Berkeley Daily Planet – Small daily, online only, (CA LLC registered by Mike O’Malley) run by Becky O’Malley. Shoestring budget, not real staff or budget. Daily Californian – UC Berkeley student newspaper, independently owned and operated of UC by the Independent Berkeley Students Publish-ing Company, Inc., (CA corporation). Daily Republic – Locally owned newspaper of Fairfield. Owned by McNaughton Family.

San Francisco Public Press – Nonprofit corporation, appears to operate on shoestring budget. It’s 2012 tax return (most recent year available) shows revenues of $60,000, mainly in contributions and grants. Michael Stoll is the board president and executive director, Lila Hood is the pub-lisher. Neither reported any salary or other compensation. Stoll is a professor at USF and a journalist. (http://www.michaelstoll.com/bio.htm)

Morris Multimedia – Based in Savannah, GA, owns newspapers in CA, GA, KS, TV stations in GA, KY, MS, TN, NC. Morris Multimedia appears to be owned by Charles H. Morris, company founder, and is privately held. • Manteca Bulletin

Tank Town Media – Small company, owns marginal newspapers in small, agricultural markets. Few staff. Owned by Will Fleet and Ralph All-dredge who bought the Tracy Press from the Matthews family, its longtime owners.Alldredge was attorney for the SF Bay Guardian in its lawsuit against SF Weekly’s owner New Times Media (circa 2008). Alldredge then went on to represent the SF Examiner in its UPA lawsuit against the SF Chronicle in 2013. • www.goldenstatenewspapers • Tracy Press

• Mountain House Press • Patterson Irrigator

• Scotts Valley Press-Banner • San Lorenzo Valley Press-Banner

Post News Group – Founded in 1963 to publish papers in the East Bay and San Francisco and South Bay, publisher is Paul Cobb, quite influen-tial in Oakland’s Black community. The paper’s distribution base is Black churches and businesses. • Oakland Post • Richmond Post

• Berkeley Post • Marin Post

• Stockton Post • Vallejo Post


Bay Area Reporter – Owned for many years by the Bob Ross Foundation (Ross was the founder of BAR), in 2013 the Foundation transferred 100 percent of the newspaper’s stock to a new corporation, BAR Media, Inc. The Bob Ross Foundation owned 20% of the new company. Todd Vogt and Patrick Brown, then both shareholders in and executives of the San Francisco Print Media Co. took a 49% ownership share, with BAR general manager Michael Yamashita obtaining 31%. Terms of the deal specified that the Bob Ross Foundation would divest 80% of its ownership interest by 2016, meaning that it likely has sold off shares to either Yamashita or Vogt and Brown, or perhaps even San Francisco Print Media Co. Center for Investigative Reporting – Online at revealnews.org, except when they place articles in other news outlets, CIR recently started a radio show also. Run as a nonprofit foundation since 1977, CIR had revenues of $7.6 million in 2013, a drop of nearly $4 million from its previ-ous year. CIR has struggled financially and relies on foundations and wealthy individuals to raise money.CIR’s executive chairman Phil Bronstein is the former editor of the Chronicle. He is paid $220,000 by CIR. Its other top executives all earn six figure plus salaries. Bronstein used to date AG and now Senate candidate Kamala Harris. Golden Gate Xpress – Student newspaper of SF State. Small, few resources, appears independent. The Guardsman – CCSF student newspaper. Small, few resources, appears independent. ALM – Media group headquartered in New York City, owns two dozen legal industry newspapers across the U.S. ALM is owned by Wasserstein & Co., a private equity firm founded by Bruce Wasserstein. Wasserstein manages money for wealthy families and pension funds. • The Recorder (San Francisco)

Salon Media Group – Publicly-traded company based in San Francisco, small by media industry standards with net revenues of $6 million in 2014 and a negative income. Salon has struggled to become profitable. Major shareholders include John Warnock (co-founder of Adobe), William Hambrecht (investment banker), and Shea Ventures LLC (venture capital arm of the Shea family). • Salon.com

Pando Daily – Owned by a group of wealthy Silicon Valley venture capitalists led by Marc Andreessen, Pando.com publishes only on the web through a Wordpress site. Pando focuses on technology stories and pokes fun at the tech industry.

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