.svg){kind=small} | |
 Cover of Merced Sun-Star on May 18, 2006 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | The McClatchy Company |
| Publisher | Tim Ritchey |
| Editor | Christopher Kirkpatrick |
| Founded | 1869 (as San Joaquin Valley Argus) |
| Headquarters | 1190 Olive Ave. Merced, CA 95348 United States |
| Circulation | 7,926 Daily (as of 2020) |
| OCLC number | 20681689 |
| Website | mercedsunstar |
The Merced Sun-Star is a daily broadsheet newspaper printed in Merced, California, in the United States. It has circulation of 7,926 copies. The newspaper is published every day except for Sundays.
History
The Merced Sun-Star evolved from the San Joaquin Valley Argus, a weekly newspaper based in the nearby town of Snelling which began publishing the paper in 1869. The Argus merged with the Merced Journal in 1890 to become the Merced County Sun. In 1925 another consolidation created the Merced Sun-Star. In 1941, the Sun-Star was acquired by Dean Lesher. In 1995, Lesher's heirs sold the Sun-Star and the Madera Tribune to US Media, later renamed Pacific-Sierra Publishing. The newspaper was acquired by The McClatchy Company in 2004. Currently, the Sun-Star has more than 120 employees that prepare both a print newspaper and an online version.
In July 2024, the newspaper announced it will decrease the number of print editions to three days a week: Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Ownership
The Merced Sun-Star is owned by The McClatchy Company, which purchased it in 2004 along with five non-dailes in Atwater, Chowchilla, Livingston, Los Banos, and Oakhurst.
The paper is the county's only daily newspaper, although it is not the county's only newspaper. Merced County is also served by the Merced County Times, a weekly paper published each Thursday by Mid-Valley Publications.
Awards
The newspaper has become known for its investigative journalism. A series of articles exposing wrongdoing by the local district attorney ended in the DA's resignation and garnered the newspaper a national Associated Press Managing Editors Association public service award. The stories also won a California First Amendment Coalition Beacon Award, among other distinctions. The newspaper won its second APME award (this one in the First Amendment category) in 2009 after it exposed a series of racist emails sent by an Atwater city councilman.
Online newspaper
The Sun-Star also has an online edition offering the latest news, sports, weather and information affecting the Merced and Mariposa counties.
Weekly newspapers
The Merced Sun-Star also publishes other weekly newspapers, including:
- Atwater Signal
- Chowchilla News
- Livingston Chronicle
References
- "McClatchy | Markets". 2021-11-21. Archived from the original on 2021-11-21. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- "Merced Sun-Star Professorship Established with Gift to UC Merced". UC Merced University of California Merced. September 24, 2002. Archived from the original on September 2, 2006.
- Staff, Times; Reports, Wire (14 May 1993). "Dean Lesher; Civic Leader, Publisher" – via LA Times.
- "Cengage Learning". www.cengage.com.
- "Dirks, Van Essen, Murray & April - News - Management Buyout Leads to New Company". www.dirksvanessen.com.
- Kirkpatrick, Christopher (July 19, 2024). "Merced Sun-Star print days changing as digital transition continues. What to expect". Merced Sun-Star. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- "McClatchy buys the Sun plus the Star". Silicon Valley Business Journal. December 4, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- "Sun-Star reporter honored for Frago e-mails coverage". Merced Sun-Star. August 26, 2010. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011.
External links
| Merced, California | |
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| Municipalities and communities of Merced County, California, United States | ||
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| County seat: Merced | ||
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