Have you heard the news? We bought Marin County’s Pacific Sun last week. The paper is the second oldest arts and entertainment weekly in America after the Village Voice, but has been struggling of late. We hope to reinvigorate the paper with a new vision, new ideas and new management.
While the Sun will keep its name, the Bohemian will work with the Sun’s staff to reinvent its business and editorial functions. But it will be an expressly Marin County paper. Bohemian publisher Rosemary Olson will now serve as publisher for the Sun, too. Both paper’s teams are excited to collaborate and deliver a great read for the North Bay.
Many changes are already in the works. The Bohemian will no longer circulate in Marin County. The 5,000 copies we distributed in Marin County will go into racks in Sonoma and Napa counties, which is a 20 percent increase in penetration into those two counties, and a 60 percent jump in combined three-county readership.
One of my goals is to create a paper that better reflects life in Marin
County. That means a greater focus on arts and entertainment, food
and drink, local muckraking news, and the Marin County lifestyle—
cycling, hiking, trail running, paddling, surfing, boating, gardening
and all the other outdoor pursuits that define the area. More than anything else, I want the paper to reflect the people of Marin County. That means more profiles on the diverse folks who make Marin County what it is.
We’re also planning several design changes in the Sun, so while the
name will remain the same, the paper will unveil a revived version of its classic groundbreaking design. Look for a stronger digital presence, too. But these changes won’t happen all at once, so please bear with us during the transition.
As for the Bohemian, we will not include as much Marin County
coverage but will redouble our efforts in Sonoma and Napa counties.
We’ve got new initiatives in store here, too.
In an era when daily newspapers are in decline and print media
has been declared dying or dead, it’s exciting to be part of a growing
investment in local media. Together, the Bohemian and now the
Pacific Sun are committed to telling the stories that matter to the
North Bay. I hope you’ll follow our progress. Let me know what you
think at sholbrook [at] metronews.com.
Stett Holbrook is editor of the ‘North Bay Bohemian.’
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