San Francisco Examiner

Infobox Newspaper
name = San Francisco Examiner


type = Free daily newspaper
format = Tabloid
foundation = 1863/1865
owners = Clarity Media
headquarters = 450 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
United States
publisher = John Wilcox
editor = Jim Pimentel
chief financial officer = Pat Brown
vp of advertising = Paul Ingegneri
vp of circulation = Mike Costello
circulation = 190,000 daily;
250,000 weekend
(as of January 2007)
ISSN =
website = [http://www.sfexaminer.com SFExaminer.com]

The "San Francisco Examiner" is a U.S. daily newspaper. It has been published continuously in San Francisco, California, since the late 19th Century.

History

19th century

The beginning of the "Examiner" is a topic of some controversy. The date for its start is often given as 1865Fact|date=August 2008, but former "Examiner" columnist P.J. Corkery has writtenFact|date=August 2008 that its first issue was actually printed on October 20, 1863, under the name "The Daily Democratic Press" but that on June 12, 1865, the same newspaper "began to appear on the streets as "The Examiner." The reason, he said, was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 15, 1865.

When word of Lincoln’s assassination reached San Francisco, angry citizens stormed the offices of the newspaper that would become "The Examiner," wrecked it and set fire to it, as the "Daily Democratic Press" had been a pro-Confederacy, pro-slavery newspaper. The citizens of San Francisco, outraged that southern sympathizers had murdered Lincoln, sought to kill the paper and the editors. The proprietors, recovering their typecases from the ashes, decided an image change was in order, and renamed the paper, "The Examiner." [How Old Is The Examiner? [http://pjsf.typepad.com/pjsf/2004/04/how_old_is_the_.html] ]

The paper was bought by mining engineer and entrepreneur George Hearst in 1880 and seven years later he gave it to his son, William Randolph Hearst, who was then 23 years old. A story that Hearst had won the paper in a poker game is "pure Hearst mythology," Corkery wrote, but other sources continue to make that or a similar statement. ["A Timeline of San Francisco History" [http://www.zpub.com/sf/history/sfh2.html] ] [Honolulu Star-Bulletin, "Judge clears way for Hearst to buy San Francisco Chronicle." July 27, 2000 [http://starbulletin.com/2000/07/27/news/story5.html] ]

Under Hearst, the paper's popularity increased greatly, with the help of such writers as Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, and the San Francisco-born Jack London. [ William Randolph Hearst, 1863-1951 [http://www.zpub.com/sf/history/willh.html] ] Sales were helped by the "Examiner's" version of yellow journalism, printing scandal and satire, as well as helping build support for the Spanish-American war and the annexation of the Philippines.

20th and 21st centuries

After the great earthquake and fire of 1906 destroyed much of San Francisco, the "Examiner" and its rivals — the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Call — brought out a joint edition. The "Examiner" offices were destroyed on April 18, 1906 [ [http://www.chsa.org/publications/docs/1906quakeFAQ.pdf#search=%22%22hearst%20building%22%20san%20francisco%22] , ] but when the city was rebuilt a new structure, the Hearst Building, arose in its place at Third and Market Streets. It opened in 1909, and in 1937 the facade, entranceway and lobby underwent an extensive remodeling designed by architect Julia Morgan. [ [http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/jmhearst/jmhearst.html Images of the Hearst Building, San Francisco, California, by Julia Morgan ] ]

For 35 years starting in 1965 the "San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner" operated under a Joint Operating Agreement whereby the "Chronicle" published a morning paper and the "Examiner" published in the afternoon. When Chronicle Publishing Company divested its interests, the Hearst Corporation purchased the Chronicle. To satisfy antitrust concerns, Hearst transferred ownership of the "Examiner" to ExIn, LLC, a corporation owned by the Fang family [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/04/27/MN22SFM.DTL INSIDE STORY / How Politics Tangled Up S.F. Newspaper Deals ] ] , which also owns the national magazine "AsianWeek." On March 30, 2000, Ted Fang formely acquired the newspaper. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/07/28/MNT29899.DTL Judge OKs Chronicle Sale / Court says it would not create a monopoly or lessen competition ] ] The Fang's tenure was criticized as being heavily partisan. On the other hand, the "Examiner" was also praised for detailed coverage of local politics that at times rankled local politicos. In May 2002, the "Examiner" relaunched as a tabloid. On February 24, 2003, the "Examiner" became a free daily newspaper.

On February 19, 2004, Philip Anschutz of Denver, Colorado purchased the "Examiner" and its printing plant. His new company, Clarity Media Group, launched the "Washington Examiner" in 2005 and "Baltimore Examiner" in 2006. The "Examiner" is currently run by Anschutz subsidiary SF Newspaper Company.

New business model

Under Clarity ownership, the "Examiner" pioneered a new business model [cite news | first=Lori | last=Robertson | coauthors= | title=Home Free | date=April/May 2007 | publisher= | url =http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4307 | work =American Journalism Review | pages = | accessdate = 2007-04-18 | language = ] for the newspaper industry. Designed to be read quickly, the "Examiner" is presented in a compact, tabloid size without story jumps. It focuses on local news, business, entertainment and sports with an emphasis on content relevant to local readers. It is delivered free to targeted homes in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, and to single-copy outlets throughout that market area. Its circulation is audited by Certified Audit of Circulation (CAC).

Major Delivery Problems in all cities

The Examiner has been a problem for many people requesting to stop unwanted delivery of newspapers. These issues started when the paper become a daily free one. Many households started receiving the paper without opting in. This presents a problem of paper waste and possibly thievery issue for people on vacation. The following website goes into more detail on the problems. http://stopexaminer.spaces.live.com/

References

External links

* [http://www.sfexaminer.com/ "San Francisco Examiner" website]