The November 15th, 2007 Edition

The Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento. Since its creation in 1857, the Bee has become Sacramento's largest newspaper. The original newspaper was owned by the McClatchy family of California. The Bee was the foundation for McClatchy Newspapers, a regional chain that grew into the nationwide McClatchy Company. The Sacramento Bee is one of the five largest newspapers in California (alongside the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and The Orange County Register ), with distribution in the Sacramento Valley and its surrounding areas.

History

The July 27, 2005 front page of The Sacramento Bee

Under the name The Daily Bee, the first issue of the newspaper was published on February 3, 1857, proudly boasting that "the object of [the Sacramento Bee] is not only independence, but permanence." At this time, the Bee was in competition with The Sacramento Union, a newspaper founded in 1851. Although the Bee soon surpassed the Union in popularity, the Union survived until its closing in 1994, leaving the Sacramento Bee to be the longest running newspaper in Sacramento's history.

Although the first editor of the Sacramento Bee was Rollin Ridge, James McClatchy took over the position by the end of the first week.

Also within a week of its creation, the Bee uncovered a state scandal which led to the impeachment of Republican California State Treasurer Henry Bates.

On March 13, 2006, The McClatchy Company announced an agreement to purchase Knight Ridder, the United States' second largest chain of daily newspapers. The $4.5 billion deal gave McClatchy thirty-two daily newspapers in 29 markets, with a total circulation of 3.3 million.[2] The company's stock dropped dramatically over the next two years, however, as investors expressed concern about its ability to evolve in a new media environment.

On February 3rd, 2007 the paper celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Circulation

According to The McClatchy Company's SEC Filings, the Sacramento Bee's circulation and revenues have dropped considerably between 2006 and 2007 (see below).

2007 Daily: 270,697 Sunday: 312,706 Revenue: 211,035 (dollars in thousands)

2006 Daily: 283,561 Sunday: 323,271 Revenue: 254,741 (dollars in thousands)

Recognition

The Sacramento Bee has won five Pulitzer Prizes in its history. It has won numerous other awards, including many for its progressive public service campaigns promoting free speech (the Bee often criticized government policy, and uncovered many scandals hurting Californians), anti-racism (the Bee supported the Union during the American Civil War and publicly denounced the Ku Klux Klan), worker's rights (the Bee has a strong history of supporting unionization), and environmental protection (leading numerous tree-planting campaigns and fighting against environmental destruction in the Sierra Nevada). A full list of recent major awards won by the Bee can be found here.

Mission statement

The mission statement of The Sacramento Bee, located at their website:

A newspaper is not solely about news and information. It’s about people, their real life stories and how we understand them. Our readers and our community are the most important part of the equation. They are why we are here and why our mission is to be the most valued regional news and information provider through superior performance in business and journalism.

Originally taken from Wikipedia - Licensed under GFDL.

Comments

Watch out for people handing out free copies outside of grocery stores, like a crack dealer giving a free sample, hoping you'll subscribe.

2007-06-18 12:35:39   Unfortunately, their website requires registration. —CharlesMcLaughlin

• Ahh, but that's what BugMeNot is for! : ) —LillianChow

2008-05-23 12:14:37   Can anyone share their experience with Sacramento Bee subscription from Davis? (Did you start the subscription on-line? Promotional booth? Calling-in? How easy is it to manage the subscription (stopping and starting for vacation?) —youkai