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Current masthead. The Enterprise started using this in 2006, following a redesign. (copyright The Davis Enterprise)

Street address
315 G Street
Mailing address
PO Box 1470
Davis, CA 95617-1470
Hours
Mon-Thurs 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Friday 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Phone
Main Office: (530)756-0800
Circulation: (530)756-0826
Fax: (530)756-7504
Email
Circulation Help: [email protected]
Advertising Help: [email protected]
Classified Help: [email protected]
Newsroom Help: [email protected]
Obituary Help: [email protected]
Arts\Entertainment Help: [email protected]
Sports Help: [email protected]
Graphics Dept. Help: [email protected]
Legal Notices Help: [email protected]
Website
http://www.davisenterprise.com
Circulation
8,200 (2013 average, now distributed 3 days a week)
Readership

20,000 (2013 average)
Established
1897, by L. A. Eichler

The Davis Enterprise is the general-circulation newspaper of Davis, published on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, excluding "major" holidays. It is also the official legal newspaper for the City of Davis and of Yolo County. The Enterprise has a larger circulation base than The California Aggie, even though The Aggie is free whereas the Enterprise is not. Of course the Aggie targets UCD students, whereas the Enterprise is for the general public. The Davis Enterprise is a member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association. The Davis Enterprise is property of McNaughton Newspapers, which also owns several other papers in the area.

The Davisville Enterprise was established in 1897 by Louis A. Eichler, with the first paper being printed on January 1, 1898. A year later, on September 15, 1899, Eichler sold the paper to William H. Scott. From this point on, the publication became just as much a personal soapbox for Scott's political beliefs as it was actual news. Because of his power to almost singlehandedly shape public perception through heavily editorialized "news", he had an enormous impact on many local issues. For example, he was largely responsible for the increasingly popular usage of the name "Davis" as opposed to the original "Davisville." On April 14, 1906, he suddenly changed his newspaper's name from "Davisville Enterprise" to "Davis Enterprise" and, in that issue, wrote a persuasive article explaining why the rest of the townspeople should follow suit.

In 1935, ownership changed hands again, when Davis' postmaster Chelso A. Maghetti purchased the paper from Scott. Maghetti, owner and publisher until 1960, ran the business in much the same style as his predecessor and his opinions leaned to the right on most political issues. Maghetti was instrumental in preserving local history by donating a complete file of the Enterprise to UC Davis' Shields Library. In 1960, Maghetti sold the paper to the Tibbitts family, which in turn sold it to the McNaughton family in March of 1967. 

The McNaughtons built a new building to house the Enterprise, at 302 G Street. This location later became the Enterprise's printing plant, when the offices moved into its present-day home in the post office building at 315 G Street in 1983, when the post office relocated to its present location on Fifth Street. 

Carriers are independent contractors and are paid per newspaper delivered- actual payment per paper may vary based on where the route is located, how large the route is and carrier performance. Routes are available to persons 12 years and older. If you wish to become a carrier, call (530)756-0826. Unlike the public perception of "newspaper boys," many carriers are adults with cars. I was a paper carrier for 3 years as a teenager and delivering papers on Sunday mornings in the rain was very beautiful and amazing. I was usually still late though. If you are unhappy with your carrier or have delivery problems, contact (530) 756-0826.

Some people call it the "Empty-prise" because of the filler articles from services like Cox News Service about "home improvement" and other topics complementary to their advertisements. They also run many more real news articles from the Associated Press that have nothing to do with Davis but might be of interest to someone who only takes the Enterprise. Maybe there isn't really enough news in Davis to support 6 or 7 issues weekly, but too much for just weekly or even thrice weekly so some filler is necessary just for that. The elimination of Mary Worth also contributes to the feeling of emptiness. Some believe they run stories which suggest an anti-student bias (especially concerning parties) and the Enterprise is sometimes accused of failing to balance these anti-student pieces with student perspectives. It would be interesting if such critics could cite any examples of this purported bias. The Enterprise emphasizes coverage of local news, sports, features and entertainment.

Its coverage of community and high school sports is unmatched. In 2008, the Davis Enterprise was awarded 2nd place in the General Excellence Category for Best Newspapers in California with a circulation of 10,000 to 25,000 presented by the California Newspapers Publisher's Association. The award for first place was won by another McNaughton Newspaper, The Daily Republic, in Fairfield, CA. In 2010, the Enterprise won first place in the General Excellence category, plus 18 awards in categories such as editorial pages, writing, and feature stories — the most of any newspaper in California. In 2011, The Enterprise was once again chosen for first place in General Excellence, and now known as California's Best Small Newspaper. Enterprise submissions for the 2012 awards have been submitted.

Some of The Enterprise 's mobile fleet.

They also publish Davis Direct, a TMC (total market coverage) all-advertising publication delivered weekly to non-subscribers. This publication includes the weekly entertainment pages and classifieds as well as insert advertising as scheduled. At least it's free.

Layout and format: Two standard sections; the main section and the sports section, which includes the classifieds. Friday includes an automotive section.

The Davis Enterprise website has a complete ban on all search engines accessing any part of their site (see their exclusion file here), (as of 16 Nov 2011, only one bot is specifically banned, all others (including Google and Yahoo) are allowed) so you can't even use http://archive.org to find older articles.

All daily stories appear online on, or often before, the date they publish in print. All classified ads and special sections are viewable to any reader, anytime- no subscription or login needed.

The current physical address of the Davis Enterprise was formerly held by the post office.

Accessing the Enterprise

A stand in front of Orange Court

Other than actually subscribing to the paper or buying one at a newsstand, there are several cheaper and equally legitimate options.

They are working on a paywall, but right now they provide unlimited access to current articles and archives over the last year at their website, http://www.davisenterprise.com/.

The Enterprise is also archived on Newsbank. Many libraries and institutions have paid Newsbank accounts and the Yolo County Library has a link from their online database page allowing access to the Enterprise and the Sacramento Bee, among other sources. Only a library card number is necessary to login outside of the library, and inside the library login is not necessary at all. UC Davis also has a Newsbank account and similar access is available from most UC Davis computers.

Both Shields Library and the Davis Branch Library have microfiche of the Enterprise going back to the beginning.

The mobile version of their site allows full access without having to pay or subscribe. You also do not have to subscribe to access any story posted on their Facebook Page.

History

The sign in a former state Its old masthead. The Enterprise stopped using it after a 2006 redesign, led by then-managing editor Wendy Weitzel.

In February 2011, the Davis Enterprise unveiled new improvements to their website. The site was opened up to non-subscribers with archives dating back a year for free.

Prior to this, web access to the paper was limited only to subscribers. Non-subscribers were allowed free access only on Mondays. Links to the online articles were also not possible, eliminating facebook links to articles or citations on Daviswiki, etc.

Advertising

Insert advertisers:

Printing Press

The Davis Enterprise's printing press as viewed from behind their building (2005). The building that houses the Enterprise business offices was once the downtown post office before the post office moved to Fifth and Pole Line.

The Davis Enterprise maintains its own printing press in Fairfield, which prints several other papers, including Winters Express and the Placerville Mountain Democrat, the oldest newspaper in California. Various student publications are also printed, including The California Aggie, King Hall Advocate, Davis Senior High School's The HUB, and virtually all AS PAPERs.

Staff

  • President and CEO: Foy S. McNaughton
  • Publisher: Richard Burt McNaughton
  • Editor: Sebastian Onate
  • Sports editor/Photo editor: Wayne Tilcock
  • Associate editors: Linda DuBois, Fred Gladdis
  • Production manager: Shawn Collins
  • Advertising: Nancy Hannell
  • Circulation: Bob Franks

Regular Columns and Features

  • Bob Dunning
  • Wendy Weitzel (former managing editor) writes Comings and Goings, about businesses
  • Derrick Bang writes movie reviews
  • John Mott-Smith writes about climate change issues
  • Rich Rifkin writes an opinion column
  • Tanya Perez
  • Marion Franck
  • Debra De-Angelo, current columnist at the Enterprise and editor of the Winters Express, co-edits iPinion Syndicate (until June 2018)
  • Former columnist David Lacy now co-edits iPinion Syndicate
  • Kim Orendor is now a columnist and social media director for iPinion Syndicate
  • DonShor writes a garden column
  • Evan Ream
  • Maya Sinha writes a humor column 

Gems

List your favorite Enterprise articles here:

The Davis Enterprise masthead above is © 2004 by The Davis Enterprise. All rights reserved.

Comments:

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2004-11-29 02:44:17   I think there is generally a great divide between Davis students and the population of Davis. A lot of this is reflected in the apathy of UCD students, even as regards campus issues, let alone local issues. If students all registered to vote in Davis, they could literally dominate the city counsel and make the city awesome for students. But apathy reigns supreme. Any thoughts? - JaimeRaba

2004-11-29 05:33:58   I think that students should participate more in local politics. However, nearly all of the undergraduates in Davis will flee upon graduation. Local politics affect them for only so long, whereas residents have to see the long-term affects of city matters. I think that sometimes folks forget that Davis would be nothing without the Campus and the students in it. . - PhilipNeustrom

2004-12-11 18:51:32   Quite a few in Davis proper refer to this as the "Emptyprize." Locals usually get their regular news from the Sac Bee, and merely check the Enterprise for local politics, obituaries, and wedding announcements. Now, as to the discussion so far: without UCD Davis would be what it is fast becoming anyway: a bedroom community for Sac and the Bay Area, and highly unaffordable for most people, including recent graduates. - CentralDavisite

2004-12-11 23:27:25   Yeah, but the theatre reviews are terrific. (in my purely unbiased opinion, of course) - BevSykes

2005-03-19 21:15:33   I'm just going to say that they should have stuck with their old masthead because the new one makes their website look completly unofficial and all around bad. and as matty said, "it's all lowercase!" I was going to change it on here but I'm not even sure the one on the website is the same as the one on the paper (besides the obvious '.com').—KristenBirdsall

2005-04-20 02:51:15   To Central Davisite: Dixon was favored over Davis originally for the new UC campus, but Dixon locals were shortsighted and opposed it, and now they pretend like they don't regret it. But if the "D" in UCD stood for Dixon, Davis would be like Dixon, and maybe you would be a Central Dixonite instead. But it's the way that it is, and every Davisite that hates young people and their buzzy modded Honda Civics can thank those youngsters that the CBD in Davis is actually vibrant. Which would you rather have? Downtown Dixon boasts six restaurants; ours has over 50. —RickEle

Dixon was never favored over Davis in the competition to host the University Farm. I don't know what your source is for that myth. The history of how UC came to Davis is well told in John Lofland's book, "Davis: Radical Changes, Deep Constants." —RichRifkin

2005-04-20 12:44:00   Quite a few towns competed for the honor of hosting the University Farm. That still isn't my main point. As it is, Dixon is rapidly becoming a bedroom community too. There are quite a few places in the Sacto metro area that don't have a university, yet they are becoming bedroom communities, and increasingly unaffordable— which was my central point. Another local town that was a strong favorite for the ag division of Cal was Woodland, although you probably already knew that. As for comparing Dixon and Davis, I beg to disagree— I think without the university, Davis would have ended up a bit more like Winters or Woodland. The rail line made a big difference compared with towns that didn't have rail access. —CentralDavisite

I recommend that the newspaper have more than one movie reviewer. The current reporter has a limited scope of genres he tolerates. The newspaper needs another reporter who can cover all the other kinds of movies. The current movie reviewer is also the arts editor, though he seems to have limited knowledge, interest, and experience as an audience member in our local art, theater, and music scene. —NoelBruening

2005-11-10 00:03:35   Is the Newsbank link kosher? I thought you had to be on campus or in the library to access it. —AndrewChen

2006-02-23 17:34:22   apparently they print my high school's newspaper. why them and not vacaville's own newspaper, we may never know... —MichelleAccurso

2006-09-23 12:15:02   The Enterprise's editorial content is controlled by Davis' real estate interests—property managers and real estate brokers. The paper doesn't print stories about the recent decline in Davis' housing market. Home prices and rents are falling. They're ignoring the biggest local news story in town. For local high school sports scores I read the Enterprise. For objective reporting about what's really happening in Davis I read the Sacramento Bee. —SteveGreen

2006-10-24 17:51:44   I used the think the enterprise was awesome and then my dad rocked my world and pointed out the inherent bias as touched upon in the comment above. Ever since then I have viewed it in a new light —StevenDaubert

2006-12-11 12:01:33   The Enterprise represents a narrowly provincial clique of business interests and political coffee clubs. —TomFrendl

2007-05-01 18:29:00   Anyone know how to keep these guys from delivering to your house? The pile of papers sitting in my driveway doesn't seem to make an impression on them that I'm not interested in getting it... Seems to me there's a lot of the same feeling by neighbors of mine whose driveways are littered with numerous papers of theirs... —HollywoOd

  • If they're delivering the paid edition, just call them and they'll stop. More likely, you're seeing the free Davis Direct rag. I see them pile up and then turn to mush if/when it rains. So sorry: I believe that, as a consumer, you're going to get this whether you use it or not. DougWalter

2007-07-31 19:39:48   This paper has the most boring and least entertaining film reviews I've ever read. —JoshFernandez

2008-02-20 11:22:17   The Enterprise now requires a paid subscription for full online access to its content (which was free until a week ago). Non-subscribers can only view content as a bulky .pdf document.

There was little reason to read the Enterprise in the first place, since their local news coverage is so thin — and the rest of the content is AP stories. Now there's no reason at all. Total bummer and bad move. They've alienated what little readership they had left. —MupDup

Yes, the Enterprise website is now more broken than it has ever been. Being able to read a story by clicking on the headline on the homepage is really basic, get with it Emptyprise. —NickSchmalenberger

2008-04-08 20:44:10   We used to like this local paper but decided to boycott it after constant solicitations by their sales people, and especially after one of their sales people claimed to be a gang member and threatened a lady in our neighborhood after he was asked to leave her yard. We won't support any business that employs that kind of trash in this community. Any company that cares about their standing in a community will be selective when hiring its representatives. I have learned that this paper could not care less, they need to clean it up in a hurry. —J.P.

  • I wonder if this person was actually associated with the Enterprise. It's a pretty common scam to be claiming to sell subscriptions to a newspaper, only to pocket the money. —CovertProfessor

2009-01-02 20:13:26   I don't know if it's more sad than maddening that more honest, in-depth local Davis news is reported by the Sac Bee than the Enterprise. —condemned2bfree

2009-02-14 17:10:13   Wow, everybody dog-piling the small town newspaper! It seems pretty unfair to compare the Enterprise, with a circulation of probably a few thousand, to a paper like the SacBee, which probably has a circulation of a few hundred thousand, and more resources available to it. —DukeMcAdow

2009-02-16 21:51:35   If you want to know what's going on in Davis — everything from local politics to sports to local events to UCD to the downtown — you read the Enterprise. I don't think there's any other way to get that much information about Davis, and honestly, I don't think I'd feel comfortable living in a place without knowing what's going on around me. Some people think the Sac Bee's coverage of Davis is more extensive, but I don't see it. If you want an alternate perspective, there's always the The People's Vanguard of Davis, which doesn't hesitate to criticize (or, occasionally, have positive words for) the Enterprise. Some downsides to the paper — when there's not much (of interest) going on, it's a rather quick read; I've been known to read three or four in a sitting when I get behind. They seem to have an overly generous "Letters to the Editor" policy; they will print letter after letter from the same person, or let an extended "he said, she said" dialogue go on between two people, and often, the letters are just really crappy (as compared to, e.g., the letters in the SF Chronicle). I wish there were more Debra Lo Guercio and less Bob Dunning. Sometimes the stories are just so small town I have to laugh — someone stole my bicycle, a duck fell down a sewer drain... All in all, it's an OK paper. It could be better, but so could a lot of things. —CovertProfessor

If you want to read more Debra, then try the Winters Express, she is the editor. I also think she is a much better one than Debbie Davis who tends to be just a business booster and not want to offend. Debra, on the other hand is not afraid to have a strong editorial position on politics that don't directly affect the paper, and I think that plus the fewer editions make it much better quality. Hopefully the Enterprise will improve with fewer editions now also. If you want to subscribe to the Express in Davis, the Enterprise will deliver it to you. —NickSchmalenberger

Ack, more to read! Ok, thanks for the suggestion. Their website was down when I checked, but I'll try it again later. —CovertProfessor

2009-04-13 18:28:23   horrible delivery man, lets his three year old throw the papers and he pays no attention to whether he missed one or not —Churro615

2009-09-23 09:03:07   Davis Enterprise had an article titled "If you want more in-depth knowledge of the city, UC Davis or the surrounding areas, you might want to check out the following resources: " on the 21st of September, 2009 (see Newsbank). Can anyone guess what incredible resource was curiously missing? —RyanMikulovsky

2009-11-09 13:51:38   I really have to wonder if loss of ad revenue is really worth closing down the site so much. I can think of many times I needed something on the ER but instead had to resort to newspaper databases and not give them any impressions or click throughs. Granted the odds I'll click on an ad are astronomical unless I happen to be in the market for whatever popped up. Anyway, their loss, not mine save for a sliver of time. —RyanMikulovsky

2010-01-20 21:57:59   Yes I wish the site doesn't charge for access - I personally don't mind a little more ads just so we could access the daily paper for free like the other online paper. Luckily the Yolo County Library online offers free access to newspapers in CA, but it's not as updated as the main Enterprise site of course. —LeeY

2011-01-25 19:04:39   I have been dissapointed that I only get a newspaper 80% of the time, and when we do get it the newspaper is out of sight, has food or drink spilled on it, and it is usually in the street. A few times the delivery man let his three year old daughter throw the newpapers (I have seen it). I wish the delivery guy was better.... —Churro615

2011-04-18 15:47:37   If you are unhappy with your carrier, contact Iris, Circulation Manager, at the Davis Enterprise so you're issues can be addressed. —musicamyl

2011-05-25 14:22:36   Did the Enterprise just switch over to a paywall in the last 30 minutes or so? I opened an article less than an hour ago. Now when I go back and click the same link to visit it, I hit a paywall. —TomGarberson

  • Yes. DonShor
    • Search me, Tom. Perhaps you could give 'em a call and ask? —BrianOrr
  • I don't get it. They made a big to-do about the new, open site. And they've barely given it a chance. Of course, not a peep about *this* change in today's paper, at least not that I can see. —CovertProfessor

2012-03-20 20:54:31   This afternoon a deliverywoman for what I'm assuming was the Enterprise (are there any other afternoon delivery smallish local newspapers?) pulled some interesting shenanigans in the parking lot of Saratoga West. She drove through, slowly, thankfully, with her son (I'm assuming) sitting on the hood of her car, handing newspapers out the driver's window so her son could try to throw them halfway across the parking lot, over the covered parking roofs, onto the balconies of subscribers. At least, I hope they were subscribers. In his defense, the kid had a great arm. Still, that kinda crazy stuff. When I was in high school a kid in the class behind me fell off the hood of a car, her head, and died. If you want to do that kind of stuff on your own time, I guess that's your call. But on the company's time, in a place where you're more or less constantly passing by either current or potential customers? Probably not the best call. —TomGarberson

2012-06-09 10:02:39   There are many great artists around Davis. However, I noticed that Enterprise is still using mainstream cartoons, like Garfield and Peanuts. Maybe we can allow a chance for local artists, especially students, to display their witty and colorful ideas.I particullarly know a young high schooler who has never been in an art class, but plans to take a few in the future, and has an excellent idea for a cartoon. —AnnieWills

2012-08-05 14:42:13   Do they still have free wooden pallets behind their downtown offices? —elizabeth2014

2013-01-16 16:46:10   "The elimination of Mary Worth also contributes to the feeling of emptiness." I might be too young to understand the value of this Mary Worth comics strip, but is there actually a decent number of people who really care that it no longer runs in the Davis Enterprise? I am genuinely asking? —AaronWedra

2013-01-25 06:55:41   Does anyone have information about some junior-highesh aged boys working for them? My husband and I have had some boys who look about 12 or 13 banging on our door late at night literally begging us to subscribe. Saying they were pushy would be an understatement. I had a funny feeling about them so I called the Davis police. They said just to ask for their sellers permit. Anyone else have this happen? —jenb

  • The Davis Municipal Code (28.01.120 (b)) prohibits soliciting between 8:00 PM and 8:00 AM.
  • They have also come to my door and they are really pushy. I even had one look into the house behind me and ask me questions about my pets. Next time I will ask for their sellers permit, but honestly I don't think the Enterprise should be sending solicitors door to door at all. It makes me even less inclined to pay for website access. -Megan
    • My guess is that this is a scam and that these "sellers" are not associated with the Enterprise in any way. —CovertProfessor

2013-01-25 17:30:32   "Newsbank access is free to anyone with a Yolo Library Card."

As far as I know, Newsbank access is no longer free through Yolo Co. Library. —HiramJackson

2014-09-21 13:38:18   I hope The Enterprise is still publishing Marion Franck's column. I don't see one in today's issue, and no comment about why. —SueHjerpe

  • In last week's Sunday paper, it was mentioned that she would be traveling and visiting with family more, and so publishing her column less often. —cp Thanks, I'm glad she'll be back. Sue

2015-10-16 21:44:57   Has anyone encountered a kid who looks to be in junior high trying to sell davis enterprise newspaper subscriptions? He told me if he was able to get a certain amount of subscriptions he would be able to go to Six Flags. I gave money to the kid, before realizing it might be a scam. —kkcc

 

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