Metro Newspapers
Encyclopedia
Metro Newspapers is an American
newspaper
company based in San Jose, California
. It currently publishes three free alternative weekly
newspapers in Northern California: Metro Silicon Valley, Santa Cruz Weekly
and the North Bay Bohemian
. Together, the publications reach a weekly audience of about half a million people, according to The Media Audit.
The publications are free-distribution, tabloid-sized newspapers emphasizing news and analysis, local coverage and in-depth coverage of arts, culture and entertainment. Its Boulevards
subsidiary operates city guides on the web internationally, under such URLs as Seattle.com and LosAngeles.com.
Founded in 1985, the Metro weekly began celebrating its 25th year starting in March 2009, making it the most established free weekly in the South Bay Area of Northern California. It was one of the first newspapers to publish Matt Groening
's Life in Hell
and Rob Brezsny
's Real Astrology. The company is operated by its founder and longtime executive editor, Dan Pulcrano
.
Metro Santa Cruz began publishing in 1994. The same year, Metro Newspapers purchased the Sonoma County Independent, which, in October 2000, expanded its distribution to cover Napa and Marin counties and is now published under the North Bay Bohemian
flag. In March 2009, on the publication's 15th anniversary, Metro Santa Cruz was renamed Santa Cruz Weekly
.
's "General Excellence" award in its [edit] Better Newspapers Contest. On December 17, 2001, David Cohen, a co-founder of Metro, bought the group, which at the time included six publications and left to run Silicon Valley Community Newspapers as an independent company. Cohen sold it four years later to Knight Ridder
and SVCN today is owned by Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group.
Virtual Valley
, a similar service with an emphasis on covering Silicon Valley communities, was launched the following year and helped put the city governments of San Jose, Milpitas and Los Gatos online. Also in 1994, Metro established Boulevards
, a network of web sites, each covering a major U.S. metropolitan area
, that pre-dated Citysearch
and Microsoft's short-lived "Sidewalk" service.
In 1995, Metro launched the online version of the newspaper on the Web under the brand Metroactive. This now includes all three papers and includes a downloadable edition in PDF format.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
company based in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. It currently publishes three free alternative weekly
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
newspapers in Northern California: Metro Silicon Valley, Santa Cruz Weekly
Santa Cruz Weekly
Santa Cruz Weekly, a free-circulation weekly newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California began publishing under its current name on May 6, 2009...
and the North Bay Bohemian
North Bay Bohemian
The North Bay Bohemian is a free weekly newspaper published in the North Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
. Together, the publications reach a weekly audience of about half a million people, according to The Media Audit.
The publications are free-distribution, tabloid-sized newspapers emphasizing news and analysis, local coverage and in-depth coverage of arts, culture and entertainment. Its Boulevards
Boulevards
Boulevards is a network of city guides on the Internet established in 1994 by Boulevards New Media Inc., an early digital media pioneer. It preceded other city guide networks such as Citysearch and Microsoft's now-defunct Sidewalk.com product, which launched under a similarly metaphorical brand and...
subsidiary operates city guides on the web internationally, under such URLs as Seattle.com and LosAngeles.com.
Founded in 1985, the Metro weekly began celebrating its 25th year starting in March 2009, making it the most established free weekly in the South Bay Area of Northern California. It was one of the first newspapers to publish Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
's Life in Hell
Life in Hell
Life in Hell is a weekly comic strip by Matt Groening. The strip features anthropomorphic rabbits and a pair of gay lovers. Groening uses these characters to explore a wide range of topics about love, sex, work, and death...
and Rob Brezsny
Rob Brezsny
Rob Brezsny is an American astrologer, writer, poet, and musician. His weekly horoscope column Free Will Astrology , has been published for more than 28 years, runs in 120 periodicals, and can be subscribed to for free via email.- Career :Brezsny is the first well-known horoscope columnist...
's Real Astrology. The company is operated by its founder and longtime executive editor, Dan Pulcrano
Dan Pulcrano
Dan Pulcrano is a journalist, newspaper owner and Web executive in San Jose, California. He is CEO and executive editor of Metro Silicon Valley, Silicon Valley’s alternative newsweekly, as well as its sister publications, Santa Cruz Weekly and the North Bay Bohemian...
.
Metro Santa Cruz began publishing in 1994. The same year, Metro Newspapers purchased the Sonoma County Independent, which, in October 2000, expanded its distribution to cover Napa and Marin counties and is now published under the North Bay Bohemian
North Bay Bohemian
The North Bay Bohemian is a free weekly newspaper published in the North Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
flag. In March 2009, on the publication's 15th anniversary, Metro Santa Cruz was renamed Santa Cruz Weekly
Santa Cruz Weekly
Santa Cruz Weekly, a free-circulation weekly newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California began publishing under its current name on May 6, 2009...
.
Silicon Valley community newspapers
Metro developed a group of weekly community newspapers, including the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, Saratoga News, Campbell Reporter, Willow Glen Resident and Sunnyvale Sun. Under Metro's ownership, the group won numerous awards, including the California Newspaper Publishers AssociationCalifornia Newspaper Publishers Association
The California Newspaper Publishers Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1888 that represents the daily and weekly newspapers of California. Its diverse membership consists of over 500 newspapers that elect 35 individuals to its governing board of directors...
's "General Excellence" award in its [edit] Better Newspapers Contest. On December 17, 2001, David Cohen, a co-founder of Metro, bought the group, which at the time included six publications and left to run Silicon Valley Community Newspapers as an independent company. Cohen sold it four years later to Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
and SVCN today is owned by Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group.
Early online player
Metro was an early participant in the online publishing revolution, in 1993 launching the Livewire online service, one of the first online efforts by a non-daily newspaper publisher. The service offered free email accounts, online commerce, chats, posting forums, and online articles.Virtual Valley
Virtual Valley
Virtual Valley was a free-access dial-up public Internet Service Provider/web publishing venture initiated by Metro Silicon Valley with content and promotional support from public television station KTEH and a grant of frame-relay Internet access from Pacific Bell . Operations commenced in 1994...
, a similar service with an emphasis on covering Silicon Valley communities, was launched the following year and helped put the city governments of San Jose, Milpitas and Los Gatos online. Also in 1994, Metro established Boulevards
Boulevards
Boulevards is a network of city guides on the Internet established in 1994 by Boulevards New Media Inc., an early digital media pioneer. It preceded other city guide networks such as Citysearch and Microsoft's now-defunct Sidewalk.com product, which launched under a similarly metaphorical brand and...
, a network of web sites, each covering a major U.S. metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
, that pre-dated Citysearch
Citysearch
Citysearch is an online city guide that provides information about businesses in the categories of dining, entertainment, retail, travel, and professional services in cities throughout the United States. Visitors to each of Citysearch's local city guides will find contact information, maps, driving...
and Microsoft's short-lived "Sidewalk" service.
In 1995, Metro launched the online version of the newspaper on the Web under the brand Metroactive. This now includes all three papers and includes a downloadable edition in PDF format.
Awards
Metroactive has received several awards for its work, including:- Six papers in the Metro Newspapers group were honored for writing, editing and design at the California Newspaper Publishers AssociationCalifornia Newspaper Publishers AssociationThe California Newspaper Publishers Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1888 that represents the daily and weekly newspapers of California. Its diverse membership consists of over 500 newspapers that elect 35 individuals to its governing board of directors...
Better Newspapers Awards, July 1997. - Three papers in the Metro Newspapers group won at the National Newspaper Association's 1995 contest, announced September 1996.
- Five papers in the Metro Newspapers group were honored for writing, editing and design at the California Newspaper Publishers AssociationCalifornia Newspaper Publishers AssociationThe California Newspaper Publishers Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1888 that represents the daily and weekly newspapers of California. Its diverse membership consists of over 500 newspapers that elect 35 individuals to its governing board of directors...
Better Newspapers Awards, July 1996. - Metro Silicon Valley won two awards at the California Newspaper Publishers AssociationCalifornia Newspaper Publishers AssociationThe California Newspaper Publishers Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1888 that represents the daily and weekly newspapers of California. Its diverse membership consists of over 500 newspapers that elect 35 individuals to its governing board of directors...
Better Newspapers Awards, October 2008.