The Santa Barbara News-Press has a fascinating history, and it's a story of dispute and revitalization. The paper has been a staple in the community since 1855, making it one of the oldest newspapers in California.
The News-Press has seen its fair share of challenges, including a high-profile dispute between the owner, Wendy McCaw, and the staff. The controversy led to a lawsuit and a significant change in the paper's ownership structure.
The dispute had a lasting impact on the paper, but it also brought about a renewed focus on revitalizing the News-Press. The paper has since shifted its focus to online content, investing in new technology and hiring a team of experienced journalists.
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Santa Barbara News-Press Dispute
In early summer 2006, six editors and a long-time columnist suddenly resigned from the News-Press due to a dispute with McCaw and her managers.
Tensions had existed between McCaw and the newsroom staff since she bought the News-Press in 2000.
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Between July 2006 and February 2007, 60 staff members, including all but two news reporters, resigned or were fired from the News-Press.
Newsroom employees voted to unionize with the Teamsters, and both the News-Press management and the Teamsters made multiple appeals to the National Labor Relations Board.
McCaw's attorneys filed lawsuits against former employees, journalists, as well as competing newspapers, and issued numerous cease and desist letters to various parties.
The parent company of the News-Press, Ampersand Publishing, filed a copyright infringement suit against the Santa Barbara Independent in November 2006.
An undisclosed settlement was reached on April 28, 2008, resulting in a dismissal of the case at the request of the parties.
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Relaunch and Future Plans
The Santa Barbara News-Press is getting a new lease on life. In January 2025, NEWSWELL, a nonprofit affiliated with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, announced plans to relaunch the News-Press as a digital newspaper.
This move follows Romo's decision to donate the News-Press' intellectual property to NEWSWELL. This donation has paved the way for the relaunch and future growth of the publication.
The relaunch is a significant step forward for the News-Press, marking a new chapter in its history.
Relaunch
The relaunch of the News-Press is an exciting development. In January 2025, NEWSWELL announced plans to relaunch the News-Press as a digital newspaper. This new digital format will bring the News-Press into the 21st century, making it more accessible to readers. Romo donated the News-Press' intellectual property to NEWSWELL, a nonprofit affiliated with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Physical Archives Future
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum is eager to acquire the Santa Barbara News-Press' physical archives to add to its collection.
The museum has already acquired bound newspapers from the 1890s to the 1980s, which were probably donated by the News-Press itself.
They're hoping to buy the former newspaper's photo morgue, microfiche collection, clippings, newspapers, and bound copies.
Photographs are extraordinarily information rich, and the News-Press ones were taken by professional photographers.
The museum's head archivist, Chris Ervin, believes that journalism is the first rough draft of history.
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The trustee for the bankruptcy case wants to sell News-Press assets by auction, including printing press equipment and the newspaper's physical and digital archives.
The proceeds will go into the estate's bank account and probably be used to pay creditors.
The museum is offering to pay for an appraiser report, which could be used to solicit bids.
At this point, they wouldn't even know what they're bidding on.
It's the museum's hope that if there is anyone else local interested in acquiring it, they'll work with them, not against them.
The museum wants to ensure public access to the archives, as losing them would be a crushing blow to Santa Barbara history.
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Financial Matters
The Santa Barbara News-Press' financial situation has been a topic of concern in recent years. The newspaper filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on July 21, 2023, with $50,000 in assets and between $1 million and $10 million in liabilities.
The News-Press' owner, Ampersand Publishing LLC, had been struggling to stay afloat, reducing its staff from 65 employees to 20 by 2016. The newspaper's printed edition was eventually eliminated entirely.
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A tentative bankruptcy sale for $250,000 to Weyaweya Ltd., a Maltese company, was scheduled for March 2024. The sale included the domain names, website contents, and social media accounts.
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum attempted to purchase the News-Press' historical archives, including newspapers bound into books dating back to 1870, but was outbid at $70,000. The archives were ultimately sold to the museum.
The bankruptcy trustee, Attorney Jerry Namba, is now selling the News-Press website domain, social media accounts, and trademark, with a starting bid of $260,000 in increments of $5,000.
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