Metro Newspapers, owner and publisher of Metro Silicon Valley, purchased four MainStreet Media Group weeklies including the Gilroy Dispatch, Morgan Hill Times, Hollister Free Lance and Santa Cruz Good Times.
After nearly four months of negotiations with Connecticut-based Mainstreet Media, Metro finalized the deal last Friday, March 28. Principal owner Dan Pulcrano said readers will continue to receive locally relevant news in print and increasingly online through his latest venture, New SV Media.
“The weekly format is ideal for communities, and that’s what we’re experts in,” Pulcrano said, adding that weeklies have been the “survivors” in the print industry and retained their footing and profitability much better than daily newspapers.
A confidentiality clause in the agreement prohibits Pulcrano from revealing the financial details of the transaction, he said.
Metro Silicon Valley is the group’s flagship publication, alongside the North Bay Bohemian and Santa Cruz Weekly, but Pulcrano said he has experience of running more traditional weekly newspapers like the Los Gatos Weekly.
“It’s exciting to have local ownership that believes in community newspapers and is committed to making our products the best they can be,” said New SV Media Publisher Jeff Mitchell. “This is definitely a benefit for the communities we serve.”
When he was 14 years old, Pulcrano began publishing his own tabloid in New Brunswick, N.J. Just five years later, he went on to jumpstart LA Weekly alongside publisher Jay Levin. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a journalism degree, Pulcrano founded the Los Gatos Weekly and three years later, Metro.
In 1993, Pulcrano launched Livewire—one of the earliest online players, he said. He then launched Boulevards New Media Inc., which owns city name URLs including SanFrancisco.com, SanJose.com, LosAngeles.com and others and began expanding his enterprise.
“We embrace and push technology; we’re not afraid of it,” Pulcrano said, adding that he’s been at the helm of various online companies for more than 20 years.
Pulcrano points to an investigative series penned by Metro writers that led to the prosecution and ultimate conviction of Santa Clara County Supervisor George Shirakawa Jr. on multiple felony charges as an example of responsible journalism.
As southern Santa Clara and San Benito counties continue to expand, Pulcrano said critical issues ranging from environmental concerns to educational expansion will need to be heralded by local newspapers. Busier residents don’t necessarily have time to follow developments from within council chambers, he said, and that’s where Pulcrano sees the Dispatch, Times and Free Lance stepping in.
In addition, Pulcrano said he plans to place an increased emphasis on utilizing various online and social media resources as a means to disseminate information to the communities each paper represents in southern Santa Clara, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties. Actively engaging readers in the conversation is critical for local news sources, he added.
“Let them know what’s going on and give them the choice,” Pulcrano said. “The newspaper is place where people can sort out community questions. The people covering a community through the media help create the glue that binds the community together.”
Pointing out that the Dispatch, Times and Free Lance have each chronicled local history since the
late 19th century, Pulcrano called them a “treasure.”
“There’s a lot of talent in this organization,” he said.
