The San Diego Union-Tribune

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The San Diego Union-Tribune is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from what were San Diego's two major daily newspapers, the morning San Diego Union and the San Diego Evening Tribune, which had the same publisher beginning in 1901 and were frequently referred to collectively as the Union-Tribune; they were merged into a single edition under that name in 1992.

The name was changed to U-T San Diego in 2012 but returned to The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2015.<ref name="Beutner">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2015, the newspaper was acquired by Tribune Publishing. In February 2018, it was announced it would be sold, along with the Los Angeles Times, to Patrick Soon-Shiong's investment firm Nant Capital LLC for $500 million plus $90 million in pension liabilities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The sale was completed on June 18, 2018.<ref name="Soon-Shiong">Template:Cite press release</ref> In July 2023, Soon-Shiong sold the paper to Digital First Media, a company owned by Alden Global Capital.<ref name="Weisberg" />

History

File:San Diego Union newspaper building (c. 1870s).jpg
San Diego Union building, Template:Circa
File:San Diego Sun newspaper building (1908).jpg
San Diego Sun building, 1908
File:San Diego Daily Bee newspaper building (1908).jpg
San Diego Daily Bee building, 1908
File:San Diego Tribune Building 2022.jpg
The San Diego Union-Tribune Building, 2022

Predecessors

The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:<ref name="Cornerstone8081">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • San Diego Herald, founded 1851 and closed April 7, 1860; John Judson Ames was its first editor and proprietor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.
  • San Diego Union, founded October 3, 1868.<ref name="Foreman">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp
  • San Diego Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.

In addition, the San Diego Union purchased the San Diego Daily Bee in 1888, and for a brief time the combined newspaper was named the San Diego Union and Daily Bee.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

John D. Spreckels

Template:See also

In 1890, businessman John D. Spreckels, then living in San Francisco and owner of The San Francisco Call, bought the San Diego Union, followed by his purchase of the San Diego Evening Tribune in 1901. He moved to San Diego after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, eventually becoming the wealthiest man in the city.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Copley Press

After Spreckels's death, the Union and Tribune were acquired in 1928 by Copley Press from the J. D. and A. B. Spreckels Investment company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1950 Copley Press acquired the San Diego Daily Journal, merging it into the Evening Tribune.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Union and Evening Tribune were merged into a single edition on February 2, 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The merged newspaper was sold to the private investment group Platinum Equity of Beverly Hills, California, on March 18, 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Platinum Equity

On August 17, 2010, the Union-Tribune changed its design to improve "clarity, legibility, and ease of use". Changes included being printed on thinner, 100 percent recycled paper, moving the comics to the back of the business section, and abbreviating the title The San Diego Union-Tribune on the front page to U-T San Diego.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The U-T nameplate was created by Jim Parkinson, a type designer who also created nameplates for Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Newsweek.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

MLIM Holdings

In November 2011, Platinum Equity sold the newspaper to MLIM Holdings, a company led by Doug Manchester, a San Diego real estate developer and "an outspoken supporter of conservative causes". The purchase price was reportedly in excess of $110 million.<ref name = "sold">Template:Cite news</ref> Manchester built two landmark downtown hotels, the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel and the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina. His group also owns the Grand Del Mar luxury resort in San Diego.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

U-T San Diego

File:The San Diego Union-Tribune (2012-08-13).svg
Logo between 2012 and 2015
File:The San Diego Union-Tribune (2011-05-03).svg
Logo in 2011

On January 3, 2012, the newspaper announced that it would use the name U-T San Diego "on all of our media products and communications"; the newspaper's website (formerly called "SignOn San Diego" and available under SignOnSanDiego.com) would use the name UTSanDiego.com. The official announcement explained the change as being intended to "unify our print and digital products under a single brand with a clear and consistent expectation of quality".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

U-T San Diego bought the North County Times in September 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On October 15, 2012, the North County Times ceased publication and became the U-T North County Times, which was an edition of the U-T with some North County–specific content.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Six months later the U-T North County Times name was dropped and the newspaper became a North County edition of the U-T.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In November 2013, the newspaper bought eight more local weekly newspapers (La Jolla Light, Del Mar Times, Rancho Santa Fe Review, Poway News Chieftain, Rancho Bernardo News Journal, the Solana Beach Sun, the Carmel Valley News and the Ramona Sentinel) in the San Diego area, which continued publication under their own names.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, U-T San Diego launched a ninth paper, the Encinitas Advocate.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2012, U-T San Diego launched "U-T TV", a cable television channel. It featured news, lifestyle, and editorial content produced by the newspaper's staff, and was created as part of the newspaper's growing emphasis on multi-platform content under Manchester. On February 20, 2014, U-T TV, hampered by not being carried by Time Warner Cable, ended its operation on its two remaining cable outlets. The channel's remaining staff was retained to produce video content for the newspaper's digital properties.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Tribune Publishing ownership

On May 7, 2015, it was announced that the Tribune Publishing Company, publisher of the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and other newspapers, had reached a deal to acquire U-T San Diego and its associated properties for $85 million. The sale ended the newspaper's 146 years of private ownership. The transaction was completed on May 21, 2015. On the same date, the newspaper reintroduced its previous branding as The San Diego Union-Tribune.<ref name = "Beutner" />

The Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times became part of a new operating entity known as the California News Group, with both newspapers led by Times publisher and chief executive officer Austin Beutner. The two newspapers reportedly would retain distinct operations, but there would be a larger amount of synergy and content sharing between them.

The acquisition did not include the newspaper's headquarters, which was retained by Manchester and would be leased by the newspaper.<ref name=uts-tribunebuy>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=lat-utbuy>Template:Cite news</ref>

On May 26, 2015, the newspaper announced it would lay off 178 employees, representing about thirty percent of the total staff, as it consolidated its printing operations with the Times in Los Angeles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2016, The San Diego Union Tribune acquired the monthly entertainment magazine Pacific San Diego.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On June 13, 2015, at 10:02 p.m. PDT the final run of The San Diego Union Tribune was printed at the San Diego headquarters in Mission Valley began.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was to print the Sunday edition newspaper for June 14, 2015. The following Monday's newspaper would be printed at the Los Angeles Times location. The dismantling of the printing presses in Mission Valley began in mid-September 2015.

Purchase by Patrick Soon-Shiong

In February 2018, a deal was reached to sell the Union-Tribune to Patrick Soon-Shiong, a medical doctor who has made billions as a biotech entrepreneur. The deal also included the Los Angeles Times and multiple community newspapers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The sale closed on June 18, 2018.<ref name="Soon-Shiong" />

Sale to Alden Global Capital

On July 10, 2023, it was announced that the U-T was sold to the MediaNews Group, owned by Alden Global Capital, for an undisclosed sum. Soon-Shiong retained ownership of the Los Angeles Times. MediaNews Group already owned about 100 newspapers and is the parent company of the Southern California News Group. MediaNews Group immediately announced that employees would be offered buyouts to resign, and that if not enough employees took up the offer, additional layoffs would be necessary.<ref name=Weisberg>Template:Cite news</ref>

In December 2023, the newspaper announced the last issue of U-T en Español, its Spanish-language tabloid, would be published on Dec. 30.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On June 13, 2024, a newly redesigned website was launched, similar to other newspapers in the Alden Global Capital group, replacing a design that was used for the Los Angeles Times.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Headquarters

The newspaper was originally located in Old Town San Diego, and was moved to downtown San Diego in 1871. In 1973, it moved to a custom-built, brick and stone office and printing plant complex in Mission Valley.

The newspaper moved back downtown in May 2016, to offices on the 9th through 12th floors of a tower at 600 B Street. The Union-Tribune was to be the named tenant of the building, replacing Bridgepoint Education and, before that, Comerica.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Awards

Pulitzer Prizes

  • 1979, Breaking News Reporting: San Diego Evening Tribune for its coverage of the PSA Flight 182 jetliner collision with a small plane over North Park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • 1987, Editorial Writing: San Diego Evening Tribune editorial writer Jonathan Freedman for his editorials urging passage of the first major immigration reform act in 34 years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> for these stories.

  • 2009, Editorial Cartooning: Steve Breen "for his agile use of a classic style to produce wide ranging cartoons that engage readers with power, clarity and humor".

Criticisms

Copleys and Platinum Equity

Under the Copleys' ownership, the newspaper had a reliably conservative editorial position, endorsing almost exclusively Republicans for elective office, and sometimes refusing to interview or cover Democratic candidates.Template:Citation needed

Under Platinum Equity, the newspaper's editorial position "skewed closer to the middle" and showcased multiple viewpoints.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Manchester and Lynch

When Manchester and business partner John Lynch took ownership in 2011, Lynch stated on KPBS radio that he and Manchester "wanted to be cheerleaders for all that is good in San Diego".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lynch expanded on this position in 2012, saying "We make no apologies. We are doing what a newspaper ought to do, which is to take positions. We are very consistent—pro-conservative, pro-business, pro-military—and we are trying to make a newspaper that gets people excited about this city and its future."<ref name="pulpit">Template:Cite news</ref>

This open promotion of certain viewpoints resulted in criticism from journalism professors and other newspaper editors, who worried that negative news about topics such as the military and business might not be covered.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Dean Nelson, director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University, argued, "Now if you're saying we're going to be the cheerleaders of the military, why would you report on this guy that's taking bribes?... Where's the cheerleading there?" a reference to the Union-TribuneTemplate:'s Pulitzer Prize winning coverage of the Duke Cunningham bribery scandal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A New York Times writer added, "There is a growing worry that the falling value and failing business models of many American newspapers could lead to a situation where moneyed interests buy papers and use them to prosecute a political and commercial agenda. That future appears to have arrived in San Diego."<ref name = "pulpit" />

Lynch said, "We totally respect the journalistic integrity of our paper and there is a clear line of demarcation between our editorials and our news. Our editor, Jeff Light, calls the shots." However, in November 2011 Lynch told the sports editor that the sports pages should advocate for a new football stadium; when a longtime sportswriter wrote skeptically about the idea, he was fired.<ref name = "pulpit" />

Downtown redevelopment

In January 2012, two months after Manchester bought the U-T, the newspaper featured a front-page proposal for downtown redevelopment, to include a downtown football stadium and an expansion of the San Diego Convention Center.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Both properties are adjacent to hotels that Manchester owns.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In September 2012, Investigative Newsource reporter Brooke Williams obtained articles that claimed Lynch "threatened" Port Commissioner Scott Peters, who was running for Congress, "with a newspaper campaign to dismantle the Unified Port of San Diego". In e-mails obtained by Williams, Lynch was quoted as indicating that if the Dole Food Company obtained a long-term contract, that the Port's independence governance would be questioned in editorial coverage. Williams said the effort showed "the extent to which the newspaper's new owners will go to push their vision for a football stadium on the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Endorsements and polling

During the 2012 mayoral election the owners of the U-T donated to Republican City Council Member Carl DeMaio's campaign,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the newspaper ran several prominent editorials favoring DeMaio. Those endorsements were wrapped around the front section of the newspaper on a separate page, "as though they were even more important" than the front page.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In October 2012, a poll was taken by the U-T asking respondents to choose between DeMaio and Democratic Congressman Bob Filner in the mayoral election to be held in November. A rival news outlet noted that "Employees of a newspaper, television / radio station, marketing / public opinion research company or the city of San Diego—or who live with someone employed in one of those fields" were excluded from the poll results, which showed the Republican leading the Democrat, 46 percent to 36 percent. Reporter Kelly Davis of SDCityBeat.com wrote: "Common sense dictates that those votes [by city employees or those living with them] would swing in Filner's favor due to DeMaio's long-running feud with city-employee unions." But U-T assignment editor Michael Smolens replied that "city employees were excluded to avoid political entanglements" in other parts of the ballot as well as in the mayor's race.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>[1] Poll results</ref> Despite the newspaper's efforts, DeMaio lost to Filner.

Lynch handed day-to-day operations to another executive in February 2014,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and editor Jeff Light became company president in January 2015.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2016, Light was named publisher.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Publishers

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Notable people

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See also

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References

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