The Southern California News Group (SCNG), formerly the San Gabriel Valley News Group and the Los Angeles News Group, is an umbrella group of local daily
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
s published in the
greater Los Angeles area
Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
by
Digital First Media
MNG Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Digital First Media and MediaNews Group, is a Denver, Colorado-based newspaper publisher owned by Alden Global Capital. The company has been growing its portfolio and as of May 2021, owns over 100 newspa ...
, which is owned by the
hedge fund
A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets and is able to make extensive use of more complex trading, portfolio-construction, and risk management techniques in an attempt to improve performance, such as sho ...
Alden Global Capital
Alden Global Capital is a hedge fund based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 2007 by Randall D. Smith. Its managing director is Heath Freeman. By mid-2020, Alden had stakes in roughly two hundred American newspapers. The company ...
.
History
Originally named the San Gabriel Valley News Group (SGVN), the organization was formed as an umbrella name for
MediaNews Group
MNG Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Digital First Media and MediaNews Group, is a Denver, Colorado-based newspaper publisher owned by Alden Global Capital. The company has been growing its portfolio and as of May 2021, owns over 100 newspa ...
-operated newspapers in the Los Angeles area. SGVN began when MediaNews Group purchased the ''
Pasadena Star-News
The ''Pasadena Star-News'' is a paid local daily newspaper for the greater Pasadena, California area. The Pasadena ''Star-News'' is a member of Southern California News Group (formerly the Los Angeles Newspaper Group), since 1996. It is also part ...
'', ''
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
The ''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' is a paid daily newspaper located in Monrovia, California, that serves the central and eastern San Gabriel Valley. It operated at the West Covina location from 1955 to 2015. The ''Tribune'' is a member of Souther ...
'', and ''
Whittier Daily News
The ''Whittier Daily News'' is a paid local daily newspaper for Whittier, California, United States. Coverage area includes Whittier, South Whittier, Pico Rivera, La Habra Heights, Santa Fe Springs and La Mirada. The ''Whittier Daily News'' is ...
'' from
Thomson Corporation
The Thomson Corporation was one of the world's largest information companies. It was established in 1989 following a merger between International Thomson Organisation Ltd (ITOL) and Thomson Newspapers. In 2008, it purchased Reuters Group to fo ...
in 1996. Thomson had already operated all three newspapers as a unit, sharing news and sports sections among the three papers (which cover geographically adjacent territories) with different story placement based on the region being served. Subsequently, in 1997 the ''
Long Beach Press-Telegram
The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lynw ...
'' was purchased from
Knight-Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, it was the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspaper brand ...
and in 1998 the ''
Los Angeles Daily News
The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media.
The offices of the ''Dai ...
'' was purchased from
Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke (October 25, 1912 – April 6, 1997) was a Canadian-American businessman in broadcasting and professional sports. Starting in sales, Cooke was very successful, eventually becoming a partner in a network of radio stations and news ...
, and the organization was renamed the Los Angeles News Group (LANG). In 1999, LANG acquired three newspapers in the
Inland Empire
The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities o ...
- the ''
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
The ''Inland Valley Daily Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper based in Rancho Cucamonga, California, serving the Pomona Valley and southwest San Bernardino County. The ''Daily Bulletin'' is a member of the Southern California News Group (formerly the ...
'' serving the
Pomona Valley
The Pomona Valley is located in the Greater Los Angeles Area between the San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino Valley in Southern California. The valley is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
On March 1, 1893 the California A ...
/Ontario area and ''
Redlands Daily Facts
The ''Redlands Daily Facts'' is a paid daily newspaper based in Redlands, California, serving the Redlands area. The ''Daily Facts'' is a member of Southern California News Group (formerly the Los Angeles Newspaper Group), a division of Digital ...
'' from
Donrey Media
Stephens Media LLC was a Las Vegas, Nevada, diversified media investment company. It owned stakes in the California Newspapers Partnership and the ''Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette''.
The company had been expanding its interactive Internet b ...
, and ''
The San Bernardino Sun
''The San Bernardino Sun'' is a paid daily newspaper in San Bernardino County. Founded in 1894, it has significant circulation in neighboring Riverside County, and serves most of the Inland Empire in Southern California, with a circulation area ...
'' from
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.[Daily Breeze
The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of Calif ...]
'' serving the
South Bay area of Los Angeles County from
Copley Press
Copley Press was a privately held newspaper business, founded in Illinois, but later based in La Jolla, California. Its flagship paper was ''The San Diego Union-Tribune''.
History
Founder Ira Clifton Copley launched Copley Press c. 1905, eventu ...
.
On March 21, 2016, a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of
Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications, Inc., was an American media conglomerate that operated daily and weekly newspapers, websites and mobile applications, as well as ''Coast Magazine'' and other specialty publications. Headquartered at 625 N. Grand Avenue in ...
and its two major newspapers, the ''
Orange County Register
''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...
'' and the ''
Riverside Press-Enterprise
''The Press-Enterprise'' is a paid daily newspaper published by Digital First Media that serves the Inland Empire in Southern California. Headquartered in downtown Riverside, California, it is the primary newspaper for Riverside County, with he ...
'' to
Digital First Media
MNG Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Digital First Media and MediaNews Group, is a Denver, Colorado-based newspaper publisher owned by Alden Global Capital. The company has been growing its portfolio and as of May 2021, owns over 100 newspa ...
. Thus, LANG was renamed Southern California News Group. The sale closed on March 31, 2016. Reports from former Freedom Communications writers began appearing in other SCNG newspapers, and vice versa, the next day.
The news coverage of the newspapers are mainly local and state stories, including Los Angeles area news provided by
City News Service
City News Service, Inc. is a regional news service covering Southern California. City News Service clients include local and regional newspapers, broadcasters and websites.
History
The company was founded in 1928 by Marvin Willard and Welland Go ...
. The newspapers contain some national and international news, often from the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
. The newspapers share coverage and printing presses, with a central copy editing and design desk, and staff writers file the same stories for all members of the group, including sharing sports beat writers, which has caused controversy. The newspapers also share editorials and speak as one voice on regional issues. Some have stated that the former Freedom Communications' distinctive
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
-
libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
editorial voice may be lost in the process.
Newspapers
The newspapers include:
* ''
Daily Breeze
The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of Calif ...
'' -
Torrance and the South Bay (acquired from the
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
-based
Copley Press
Copley Press was a privately held newspaper business, founded in Illinois, but later based in La Jolla, California. Its flagship paper was ''The San Diego Union-Tribune''.
History
Founder Ira Clifton Copley launched Copley Press c. 1905, eventu ...
in 2007)
* ''
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
The ''Inland Valley Daily Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper based in Rancho Cucamonga, California, serving the Pomona Valley and southwest San Bernardino County. The ''Daily Bulletin'' is a member of the Southern California News Group (formerly the ...
'' -
Pomona Valley
The Pomona Valley is located in the Greater Los Angeles Area between the San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino Valley in Southern California. The valley is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
On March 1, 1893 the California A ...
and
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
; originally were two separate papers: the ''Pomona Progress-Bulletin'' and the ''Ontario Daily Report'' (merged in April 1990) (acquired in 1999 from
Donrey
Stephens Media LLC was a Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, diversified media investment company. It owned stakes in the California Newspapers Partnership and the ''Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette''.
The company had been expanding its int ...
).
* ''
Press-Telegram
The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lynw ...
'' -
Long Beach
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
serving the greater Long Beach area
* ''
Los Angeles Daily News
The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media.
The offices of the ''Dai ...
'' -
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
metropolitan area (San Fernando Valley) and Northern Los Angeles County
* ''
Orange County Register
''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...
'' - serving
Orange County, California
Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...
* ''
Pasadena Star-News
The ''Pasadena Star-News'' is a paid local daily newspaper for the greater Pasadena, California area. The Pasadena ''Star-News'' is a member of Southern California News Group (formerly the Los Angeles Newspaper Group), since 1996. It is also part ...
'' -
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
Its ...
serving the greater Pasadena area
* ''
Redlands Daily Facts
The ''Redlands Daily Facts'' is a paid daily newspaper based in Redlands, California, serving the Redlands area. The ''Daily Facts'' is a member of Southern California News Group (formerly the Los Angeles Newspaper Group), a division of Digital ...
'' -
Redlands (acquired in 1999 from
Donrey
Stephens Media LLC was a Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, diversified media investment company. It owned stakes in the California Newspapers Partnership and the ''Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette''.
The company had been expanding its int ...
) serving the Redlands area
* ''
The Press-Enterprise
''The Press-Enterprise'' is a paid daily newspaper published by Digital First Media that serves the Inland Empire in Southern California. Headquartered in downtown Riverside, California, it is the primary newspaper for Riverside County, with he ...
'' -
Riverside
Riverside may refer to:
Places Australia
* Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania
Canada
* Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon
* Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta
* Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...
serving western and central Riverside County
* ''
The San Bernardino Sun
''The San Bernardino Sun'' is a paid daily newspaper in San Bernardino County. Founded in 1894, it has significant circulation in neighboring Riverside County, and serves most of the Inland Empire in Southern California, with a circulation area ...
'' -
San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...
serving the San Bernardino Valley
* ''
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
The ''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' is a paid daily newspaper located in Monrovia, California, that serves the central and eastern San Gabriel Valley. It operated at the West Covina location from 1955 to 2015. The ''Tribune'' is a member of Souther ...
'' -
Monrovia
Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...
serving the central and east San Gabriel Valley
* ''
Whittier Daily News
The ''Whittier Daily News'' is a paid local daily newspaper for Whittier, California, United States. Coverage area includes Whittier, South Whittier, Pico Rivera, La Habra Heights, Santa Fe Springs and La Mirada. The ''Whittier Daily News'' is ...
'' -
Whittier serving the Pico Rivera and Whittier areas
Also included are the community weeklies, which include the ''Palos Verdes Peninsula News'' and ''
The Beach Reporter
''The Beach Reporter'' is a weekly newspaper serving the Beach Cities of Los Angeles's South Bay. It primarily focuses on the cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city ...
'', which publishes on Thursdays with the ''Daily Breeze'', the ''Gazette'' weeklies cover the Long Beach neighborhoods north and east of downtown, also on Thursdays. The ''Orange County Register'' publishes a total of seventeen community weeklies covering most of Orange County, with the exception of Santa Ana.
Spanish-language weeklies include ''Excelsior'' which have two editions for Los Angeles and Orange counties and ''La Prensa'', which covers the Inland Empire.
The inland newspapers (''Daily Bulletin'', ''Daily Facts'', ''Press-Enterprise'', and ''Sun'') are further subdivided into the Inland Newspapers Group with combined business operations. The former SGVN newspapers are also operated as an integrated business unit, out of the ''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' offices in Monrovia (with the Pasadena office serving as a bureau for the greater Pasadena area). The ''Daily Breeze'' and ''Press-Telegram'' also have integrated business operations. The union for the ''Press-Telegram'', which was inherited from Knight-Ridder operation, has criticized the demotion of the ''Press-Telegram'' Long Beach offices to a bureau, with most work done out of the ''Daily Breeze'' in Torrance.
Prior to the merger with the Freedom newspapers, LANG identified themselves as editions of the ''Los Angeles Daily News'' in order to make LANG a "Top Ten" media buy as ranked by the
Alliance for Audited Media
The Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) is a North American non-profit industry organization founded in 1914 by the Association of National Advertisers to help ensure media transparency and trust among advertisers and media companies. Originally kno ...
. The combined readership of SCNG newspapers is 3.8 million, which if combined would make it the third largest newspaper group in the country.
Effective April 1, 2018, all ten daily newspapers covering Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, along with seventeen community weeklies covering Orange County now identify themselves as editions of the ''Register'' on the front page.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{Digital First Media
Newspaper companies of the United States
Daily newspapers published in Greater Los Angeles
Digital First Media
MediaNews Group