August 20, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Weekly gets a new sister paper

The Sun was the originator of the series that became "Tales of the City" in the San Francisco Chronicle, and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer worked there as a reporter before entering politics.

The Sun, with offices in Mill Valley and a circulation of 36,000, becomes Embarcadero's fifth newspaper. In addition to the Palo Alto Weekly, the company owns The Almanac, serving Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley; the Mountain View Voice; and the Pleasanton Weekly.

The purchase coincides with the 70th birthday of Steve McNamara, the Sun's owner, publisher and editor who purchased the paper in 1966. He developed it into an award-winning newsweekly known for its quality writing, environmental advocacy, commitment to journalistic independence and strong relationships with the communities it serves.

"Steve and I have known each other and shared our challenges and ideas with each other for the last 25 years. This seems like a natural outcome of that relationship," Bill Johnson, Embarcadero CEO and Palo Alto Weekly publisher, said of the acquisition.

"When he approached us about buying the Sun, we leaped at the opportunity," Johnson said. "Our publishing goals and values are as alike as any two companies can be, and the Marin community is a perfect complement to the high-end markets we already serve."

Prior to purchasing the Sun in 1966 from founders Merrill and Joann Grohman, McNamara was the Sunday editor of the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle.

His goal was to transform the Sun into a high-quality, magazine-style, locally focused paper similar to the Village Voice in New York City, with an emphasis on good writing and analytical reporting, Johnson noted. In subsequent years, dozens of similar papers began emerging throughout the country and McNamara became the first president of the fledgling national Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN), which now has more than 130 member papers.

"Steve's leadership during the early years of alternative weekly journalism contributed to the creation of a new genre of newspaper," Johnson said. The genre "proved that a local newspaper needn't be a boring chronicler of minor events but could penetrate the fabric of a community, advocate for social and political change and bring that community and its residents alive through good writing."

Among the Sun's innovations was the creation of "The Serial" by Armisted Maupin, which later became the popular "Tales of the City" feature in the Chronicle.

Sen. Boxer, who worked as a reporter there before venturing into politics, ranks among the Sun's many acclaimed employees over the years, Johnson said.

Johnson founded Embarcadero Publishing Company in 1979 with the launch of the Palo Alto Weekly. In 1993, the company purchased The Almanac and a year later acquired the Mountain View Voice. In 2000, Embarcadero expanded into the East Bay with the launch of the Pleasanton Weekly.

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