Edhat Staff
The Santa Barbara News-Press is poised to sell its online assets during an upcoming bankruptcy hearing.
The best offer the paper has received so far is $250,000 from the Malta-based Weyaweya Ltd. but bidding will be allowed starting at $260,000. The sale will include the domain names newspress.com and sbnewspress.com, all website content, social media accounts, and the registered mark Santa Barbara News-Press.
The former publication, which boasts a storied 150-year history, once housed 50 journalists in its bustling newsroom and operated the area’s sole large-scale printing press. However, following Wendy McCaw’s acquisition of the newspaper from the New York Times in 2000, internal conflicts between the owner and editorial staff led to a sharp decline in public perception and subscription numbers.
By April of 2023, the News-Press had a dwindling staff and subscription base which prompted a relocation from its historic headquarters adjacent to Santa Barbara City Hall to its printing press facility in Goleta.
In June the paper cited “power issues” at their printing plant as a reason subscribers did not receive their paper and decided to go fully digital instead.
On July 21, 2023, McCaw filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy declaration and abruptly fired staff, as revealed in an email from managing editor Dave Mason. The communication acknowledged the impending financial challenges and assured employees that their overdue paychecks would be disbursed once the bankruptcy proceedings concluded.
The following month bankruptcy filing documents showed the paper’s holding company, Ampersand Publishing, owed $5.13 million to creditors.
The bidding for the website and its content will take place on April 9th at 2:00 p.m. in Courtroom 210.
Wendy is emulating her idol, the orange moron. Stiff everybody, lie and cheat whenever you can, spread hate, and just laugh at everyone while flouting the law. But, as with him, the chickens are coming home to roost (hopefully).
Who is spreading hate? Laughable (hopebully). Enjoy the election!
The orange moron and his MAGA crew are spreading hate. But you wouldn’t notice it if you’re a straight, white, Christian, male.
Says the hateful commentator who is also clearly a racist.
“clearly a racist” – how so GOLETALOCAL?
MAGAts are such snowflakes. Can’t even call their policies that are anti-Muslim, anti-LGBTQ, anti-female, anti-BIPOC what they are without a “I know you are but what am I?” response. Laughable.
news-press.com in Florida would be interested in newspress.com but good luck getting more than $50k for it. Other than that, all the rest of the online and intellectual assets have zero value. When the News-Press first went online in the 1990s they called their website “Coastline” for a few years (while using newspress.com) then dropped that odd branding. The money is all in the real estate that was secretly pulled out of the company (and will hopefully be dragged back in some day).
Interesting how Yolanda is trying to extract a little money out the deal. Between her and Wendy they are quite a pair.
I saw that in the Indy, Yolanda is trying to get extra cash for keeping the logins to the website. So silly.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this Malta company keeps the website live and turns it into a “Ghost Newsroom.” The LA Times did a great report on this new phenomenon. Foreign companies buying up local news websites and profiting off clicks with no one local running it.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-27/as-the-salinas-californian-withers-a-city-yearns-to-know-its-stories
https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/reports/expanding-news-desert/loss-of-local-news/the-rise-of-the-ghost-newspaper/
And the Russians are setting up fake “local” news sites to spread their disinformation. All they have to do is lift stuff from Fox.
Anonymous – Trump is alive and well on his way back to the presidency this year. Take your meds and enjoy the rest of this day.
DOULIE – typical hateful Con. Belittling mental illness is neither funny nor “cool” or whatever you think Trump thinks it is. Be better than your leader, who quite publicly enjoys making fun of those with disabilities or mental health issues. Bunch of cowards.
DOULIE – I appreciate the sincerity.
FANTASTIC news!!
“In a surprise move, a Santa Barbara group won Tuesday’s bankruptcy auction for the News-Press’ online assets by outbidding the proposed international buyer.
Ben Romo, representing the week-old NP 2024 LLC, bid $285,000 for the former newspaper’s website, trademark and social media accounts.”
And the Romos are great Santa Barbarans, both generations and spouses. I’m glad Ben could assist in this sale.
yin yang – Thank you for the follow thru…
https://www.noozhawk.com/locals-make-bid-for-santa-barbara-news-press-website-trademark/
Things are looking up, thanks to our locals.