The alt weeklies are free-distribution, tabloid-sized newspapers emphasizing news and analysis, local coverage and in-depth coverage of arts, culture and entertainment. The community newspapers are larger format broadsheet publications that are home delivered.[2] Together, the publications reach a weekly audience of about half a million people, according to The Media Audit. Weeklys also operates digital publishing businesses.[3]
History
In 1984, Dan Pulcrano put together a group of local Silicon Valley and entertainment industry investors and recruited LA Weekly executive David Cohen as co-publisher to launch Metro. From on initial circulation of 40,000 it grew to approximately 100,000.[3]
In 1990, Metro acquired Los Gatos Weekly, a newspaper Pulcrano had founded eight years earlier, and the Chicago Tribune-owned Los Gatos Times-Observer. The two were merged to become Los Gatos Weekly-Times.[3]
In 1994, the company launched a second alt weekly called Metro Santa Cruz.[4] That same year, Metro bought a stake in the Sonoma County Independent.[5] In 2000, the newspaper was rebranded as the North Bay Bohemian and the circulation area was expanded to Marin and Napa counties.[6]
In 2015, Metro acquired the Pacific Sun; the Bohemian ceased distribution in Marin County and increased its Sonoma County and Napa County distribution.[9][10]
In 2020, the company was renamed to Weeklys, acquired the East Bay Express,[13] launched East Bay magazine, and acquired the Scotts Valley Press Banner.[14][15] In 2021, Weeklys, launched a new paper called the Los Gatan.[16][17][18]
Metro developed a group of weekly community newspapers, including the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, Saratoga News, Campbell Reporter, Willow Glen Resident and Sunnyvale Sun. 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 three years later to Knight Ridder which sold the group to McClatchy. McClatchy immediately resold SVCN to Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group.[23] In 2014, Bay Area News Group marketing director Erika Brown announced that the newspapers would be distributed to subscribers of the Mercury News, rather than generally to homes in the community.[24]
Alumni
The company has a number of notable alumni, including British television journalist Louis Theroux, New York Times opinion writer Michelle Goldberg, former News Director of Vice News Michael Learmonth, typographer Conor Mangat [25] and film producer Zack Stentz[26]Metro Silicon Valley was one of the first newspapers to publish Matt Groening's Life in Hell comic strip, long before he created The Simpsons, and Rob Brezsny's Real Astrology.[27]
↑ Gogola, Tom (December 21, 2018). "Alt Together Now: The 'Pac Sun' in the '60s". PacificSun.com. Pacific Sun. Retrieved May 22, 2022. With the demise of the Village Voice last year, the Pacific Sun is now the oldest continuously published alternative weekly in the country.
↑ "Wake of the Weeklies". San Jose Inside. Metro Newspapers. February 12, 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
↑ "PLatelet a typeface designed by conor mangat"(PDF). Emigre. Retrieved March 22, 2012. His exploits to date include spells in branding and new media at MetaDesign in San Francisco, editorial design for Metro Newspapers in Silicon Valley
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