The Press Democrat facts for kids
The February 28, 2012, front page of
The Press Democrat |
|
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Sonoma Media Investments LLC |
| Founded | 1897 (as the Sonoma Democrat) |
| Headquarters | 427 Mendocino Avenue Santa Rosa, California 95401  United States |
| Circulation | 54,000 Daily 59,000 Sunday |
| Sister newspapers | Sonoma Index-Tribune, Argus-Courier |
| ISSN | 0747-220X |
The Press Democrat is a daily newspaper published in Santa Rosa, California. It has the largest number of readers in California's North Bay area.
Contents
The Story of The Press Democrat
The newspaper started in 1897. A person named Ernest L. Finley combined his newspaper, the Evening Press, with another one called the Sonoma Democrat. The Sonoma Democrat was first created to share the ideas of the Democratic Party.
Later, in 1927, Finley also bought the Santa Rosa Republican newspaper. He then combined it with The Press Democrat in 1948.
Who Owned The Press Democrat?
For many years, from 1897 to 1985, the Finley family owned and published the newspaper. This included Ernest L. Finley, his wife Ruth, their daughter Ruth, and her husband Evert Person.
In 1985, Evert and Ruth Finley Person sold the newspaper to The New York Times Company.
Popular Features and Writers
One of the most popular parts of the newspaper for a long time was Gaye LeBaron's community column. She wrote more than 8,000 columns between 1961 and 2001. Her articles were about interesting people, local events, history, and local politics.
Current Owners of The Press Democrat
Today, The Press Democrat is owned by Sonoma Media Investments, LLC. This company bought the paper from Halifax Media Group.
The New York Times Company had bought the paper from the Finley family in 1985. They also bought the North Bay Business Journal and the Petaluma Argus-Courier. Halifax Media Holdings LLC later bought these papers. At the end of 2012, Halifax sold its California newspapers to a local group. This group included Douglas H. Bosco and Jean Schulz, who is the wife of Peanuts comic strip creator Charles M. Schulz.
In 2019, Sonoma Media Investments also bought the Sonoma County Gazette. This is a monthly newspaper from Forestville.
Awards and Special Recognitions
The Press Democrat staff won a special award in 2018. It was the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting. They won for their clear and strong reporting on the big wildfires that damaged Santa Rosa and Sonoma County.
A former photographer for the newspaper, Annie Wells, also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1997. She won for her amazing photo of a firefighter saving a teenager from floodwaters.
The newspaper also received the George Polk Award in 2004. This award is given each year by Long Island University. It honors great work in honest and investigative reporting.
