Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin is a daily newspaper based in Ontario, California, serving the Pomona Valley and southwest San Bernardino County. The Daily Bulletin is a member of the Southern California News Group (formerly the Los Angeles Newspaper Group), a division of Digital First Media.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The coverage area for the Daily Bulletin includes Pomona, San Dimas, La Verne and Claremont in Los Angeles County, Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Upland in San Bernardino County.

History

Progress Bulletin

On October 7, 1882, the The Pomona Times was founded by W.D. Morton and H.N Short.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0" /> About 18 months later the Times merged with the The Pomona Courier, founded by John H. Lee on December 15, 1883, and formed the Times-Courier, jointly owned by Morton and Lee, with Short withdrawing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November 1885, Morton sold out to Charles E. Summer.<ref name=":0" />

On January 31, 1885, the Pomona Progress was first published by Edward S. Stowell.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The paper almost ceased after six weeks due to financial difficulties and fire destroyed its office. Col. Frank P. Firey rescued the paper with his own funds.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On May 28, 1885, Charles I. Lorbeer joined Firey as a co-owner while Stowell remained as editor and manager.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0" /> On December 31, 1885, the Progress bought and absorbed the Telegram.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0" /> Stowell got sick and the paper was leased on May 27, 1886, to W.D. Morton and W. Cobler. Later that year B.A. Stephens acquired the lease and ownership later reverted back to Lorbeer and Stowell. H.G. Tinsely became a co-owner on March 22, 1888.<ref name=":6" />

Around that time Summer sold his half-stake in the Times to William E. Ward.<ref name=":0" /> His partner Lee sold out to Willard Goodwin, who was also later bought out by C.B. Messenger.<ref name=":0" /> Sidney M. Haskell bought out Lorbeer from the Progress on July 23, 1891,<ref name=":6">Template:Cite news</ref> and soon bought out Tinsely as well.<ref name=":0" /> Gen. John Wasson, formerly of the Chino Champion, bought out Ward from the Times in August 1891.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Messenger sold his Times stake on August 27, 1902 to C.B. Roberts.<ref name=":0" /> Haskell sold the Progress on February 20, 1905 to William Everett Stevens and Almon T. Richardson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> H.H. Kinney bought the Times interests of Roberts on November 7, 1906. He became the sole owner after Wasson died.<ref name=":0" />

On January 26, 1915, Edwin Ellis King, his brother W.M. King, his son Nelson J. King, and Roy L. Driscoll, purchased The Pomona Times from Kinney, who operated it for six years. The King brothers then renamed it to The Pomona Bulletin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> A year later the King family expanded the paper from a weekly to a daily.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On April 1, 1916, the Pomona Progress bought and absorbed the Pomona Review.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On April 1, 1927, the morning Bulletin and the evening Progress merged to form the Progress-Bulletin.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1" /> The newly combined circulation was 6,000.<ref name=":2" /> E.E. King died in 1931.<ref name=":1" /> Stevens died in 1948,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Richardson then succeeded him as company president.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref>

The Daily Report

On December 16, 1885, the first issue of the Ontario Record was published.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was founded by brothers E.P. Clarke, editor of the Riverside Daily Press, and A.F. Clarke. The first issue was printed in Pomona.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref> A decade later the Clarkes announced Record had been sold to a Mr. Houghtaling of New York so they could devote more time to their Riverside paper.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1896, the Clarke brothers sold the Record again, this time to Robert C.P. Smith and A.A. Piddington.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Smith bought out his partner after a year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1901, the Ontario Record, owned by R.C.P. Smith, merged with the Ontario Observer, owned by Irving S. Watson, to form the Ontario Record-Observer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A year later banker George Chaffey bought the business and installed Shirley L. Holt as editor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Shirley left in 1904 to operate the Whittier News and was succeeded Robert O. Brackenridge. By then the paper had been renamed back to the Record.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1906, Fred E. Unholz bought the paper from Brackenridge,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and sold it in 1909 to S.W. Wall and P.W. Tournson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Unholz soon reacquired ownership and on September 12, 1910, launched a daily edition of the Record called The Daily Republican.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He sold the paper again in October 1911 to Harry L. Allen and Crombie Allen of Greensburg, Pennsylvania.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The name of the Republican was changed on January 1, 1912, to The Daily Report.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On August 1, 1930, the Allen brothers announced the sale of the newspaper to Mr. and Mrs. Frank B. Appleby, from La Grande, Oregon, who had moved to Ontario with two young sons. Appleby had published newspapers in Washington, Iowa, and in La Grande.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Appleby died on July 26, 1936, in the family summer home at Laguna Beach. His obituary in the Los Angeles Times noted that the Daily Report "is known as one of the most progressive and attractive-looking newspapers in Southern California."<ref name="FrankB">"Frank B. Appleby, Publisher of 'Daily Report,' Dies Suddenly,'" Los Angeles Times, July 27, 1936, page 12]</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At that time, the circulation was about 4,000.<ref name=":4" /> His widow, Jerene C., took over as publisher of the newspaper. She later married architect Jay Dewey Harnish,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was thenceforth known as Jerene Appleby Harnish. The company went on to launch the radio station KOCS, both AM and FM.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Daily Bulletin

On March 30, 1965, Almon T. Richardson, owner of the Pomona Progress-Bulletin, purchased the Ontario Daily Report from Mrs. Jerene Appleby Harnish and her family. Mrs. Harnish was then given the honorary title "publisher emeritus". At that time the Report's daily circulation was 28,000, and the sale price of the company was $5 million.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1967, Donrey Media acquired The Progress-Bulletin Publishing company. A.T. Richardson was board chairman and his son C.T. Richardson was acting general manager. The sale included two dallies (Progress Bulletin of Pomona and The Daily Report of Ontario) along with six weeklies: Upland News, Montclair Tribune, Cucamonga Times, La Verne Leader, San Dimas Press and The Diamond Bar Walnut Valley Bulletin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1972, A.T. Richardson died.<ref name=":5" />

In 1990, Donrey Media merged the Progress Bulletin of Pomona with The Daily Report of Ontario to form the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin At that time the combine circulation was 90,000.<ref name="LAT merger">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1999, Digital First Media took control of the paper.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After 30 years of operations from its Ontario Office, the Daily Bulletin moved to Rancho Cucamonga in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Oregon Smith Controversy

In 1953, Mrs. Jerene Appleby Harnish and other partners of the Daily Report sued Ontario City Councilman Oregon Smith for slander because Smith said at a City Council meeting that the newspaper "without question" had been following "the Communist Party line".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Superior Judge Raymond H. Thompson decided in favor of Smith, whose attorney was California politician Jack B. Tenney. The judge dismissed the case because there was "no limitation" on the statements that a city council member could make during a meeting.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The decision was upheld by a District Court of Appeals in January 1956,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and later by the California Supreme Court.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref>

Afterward the newspaper published an article on January 16, 1958, stating that, had the decision gone the other way, "the public would have no protection against malicious statements made by unscrupulous members of any minor legislative body." On March 3 an editorial claimed that Smith had made the charge of communism "without regard to good morals and honesty." Smith sued for $3 million, charging libel. He later amended the complaint to include the newspaper's references to him going back as far as 1949. Judge Jesse W. Curtis Jr. dismissed the complaint in February 1958.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Smith filed another suit in January or February 1957, alleging that the unsuccessful 1953 action against him by the Daily Report had been a malicious prosecution. He sought more than $1.5 million in damages.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The San Bernardino County Sun">Template:Cite news</ref>

This latter suit was dismissed by Judge Richard B. Ault of San Diego Superior Court on motion of attorney Tenney on behalf of Smith. Tenney told a reporter that an out-of-court settlement had been made, but a defense attorney denied the statement and said the plaintiff had moved for dismissal to avoid "long and costly court proceedings".<ref name="The San Bernardino County Sun"/>

External links

• Inland Valley Daily Bulletin website