1626 E Street Fresno, CA 93786 559-441-6111 www.FresnoBee.com The Paper The Community

The Paper

Mission Statement/Motto: To inform and advocate for the enhancement of life in the Valley.

Founded: The Fresno Bee was first published on Oct. 17, 1922. Carlos K. McClatchy, the grandson of the founder of what has become The McClatchy Company and the son of Sacramento Bee editor C.K. McClatchy, was the first editor. The Fresno Bee started as an afternoon paper and became a morning newspaper on Dec. 6, 1976.

Ray Steele, Publisher & President
Betsy Lumbye, Executive Editor & Senior Vice President
John Coakley, Sr. Vice President, Sales and Strategic Marketing
Tom Cullinan, Vice President, Circulation
Jim Boren, Editorial Page Editor & Vice President
Stephen Dana, Vice President, Interactive Media
Jeff Gledhill, Vice President, Operations
Ken Hatfield, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs
Valerie Bender, Vice President, Custom Publications
Laura Janigian, Vice President, Human Resources
Glynna Billings, Controller
Betty Linn, Sierra Star Publisher

General Hiring Contact: Job Listings can be found at www.fresnobee.com
Fax cover letters and resumes to 559-441-6053
E-mail cover letters and resumes to: resume@fresnobee.com

Mail resumes to:		The Fresno Bee
		Human Resources Department
		1626 E Street
		Fresno, CA 93786-0001

Distinction: The Fresno Bee is the primary news source for the central San Joaquin Valley, covering a six-county area that is one of the fastest growing regions in the state. The Fresno Bee's website, fresnobee.com, is the most-visited website in the region.

Market: Fresno County is in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley and anchors the six-county Fresno/Visalia DMA composed of Fresno, Merced, Mariposa, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties. Fresno County's fast-growing population is one of the most diverse in the nation and is expected to approach the million mark by 2010.

Circulation Area: The Bee’s six-county circulation area covers approximately 18,000 square miles. For 13 consecutive years, The Fresno Bee has ranked first in penetration of its Newspaper Designated Market among all California newspapers over 100,00+ circulation.

Customers: Each week, The Fresno Bee (print and online) reaches 68% of adults in Fresno County. Newspaper readership ranks even higher as age, income and education increase.

Site: The Fresno Bee is located adjacent to the downtown business district. Its former offices at 1515 Van Ness in downtown Fresno now house the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. The Bee moved to its current location in 1975.

Readership (print and online): 400,700 daily; 505,600 Sunday; 607,300 weekly

Circulation: 147,723 daily; 172,507 Sunday.

Size: 58 pages daily; 128 pages Sunday.

Single-Copy Sales: 9.44% daily; 10.86% Sunday

Production: Three Flexoman presses, 18 units and 18 reel stands, installed in 1991.

Color: Capacity to run 16 full-color pages and 12 spot-color pages in a 72-page newspaper.

Newspaper Website: fresnobee.com

Average Monthly Page Views/Unique Visitors: fresnobee.com receives 5 million monthly page views and an average of 440,000 unique monthly visitors.

Other Websites: centralvalley.com is the local search site for the Central Valley; sierastar.com is the site for The Sierra Star of Oakhurst; clovisindependent.com is the site for The Clovis Independent and vidaenelvalle.com is the site for Vida en el Valle, The Fresno Bee’s bilingual Spanish publication. fresnofamous.com is a community-based site focused on entertainment, the city's growth and has a young deomographic' centralvalleymoms.com is the place for moms to share experiences and photos, get and give advice and plan family fun.

Employees: The Fresno Bee employs 507 full-time and 191 part-time employees.

Newsroom Staff: 136 full-time and 11 part-time employees.

Bureaus: A state Capitol bureau reporter and a regional bureau in Visalia. The Bee shares a Washington, D.C., bureau staff writer.

Major Awards:

The Fresno Bee's website, fresnobee.com, is a finalist for the 2008 Digital Edgie for Best Overall News Site.

In 2007, fresnobee.com won a Digital Edgie for its John Muir Trail project; received a Biving Report honor as one of the top 10 U.S. online newspaper sites; and was named an Online Journalism Award finalist for Community Service website for its Crime Map.

The website won third place in the Best of the West online enterprise reporting competition for its John Muir Trail project. The project featured blog entries from reporters Diana Marcum, Christina Vance, Mark Grossi and Marek Warszawski, who shared their experiences of hiking the John Muir Trail in the summer of 2006.

In the Associated Press News Executive Council's writing contest, sports columnist Matt James took first place in sports writing for "Athlete leaves a legacy of sadness," an Oct. 15, 2006, story of former Clovis West High and Brigham Young University athlete Brad Martin, whose life was overtaken by pain pills after he insisted on playing football following a traffic collision.

The Martin story was part of James' fourth-place award in the national Associated Press Sports Editors contest for column writing among newspapers in the 100,000-250,000 circulation category. His other columns in the entry were about Paralympian skier Gerald Hayden ("Heart of a winner," March 12); former Fresno State basketball player Johnny Hines ("Standing tall," April 9); Fresno State's decision to cut the wrestling program ("Right decision can't absolve Boeh of blame for bad delivery," June 16); and the Save Mart Shootout ("Wilson's approach no joke, be it to golf or toward others," Oct. 17).

James also took third place for sports reporting in the Best of the West Contest.

Also in the APNEC contest, reporter George Hostetter and the late Donald E. Coleman took second place in investigative reporting for their June 25,2006, story "Travelin' salesman," about the power of Orange Cove Mayor Victor Lopez.

In the California Newspaper Publishers Association Better Newspapers Contest for 2006, The Fresno Bee won five first- or second-place awards in the 75,001- to 200,000-circulation division. Vida en el Valle, the Bee's bilingual Spanish publication, won six awards, and The Clovis Independent, a weekly newspaper that covers issues in the suburban city of Clovis (population more than 90,000), won five. All thee publications are published by The Fresno Bee.

The Fresno Bee's first-place awards:

* Nonlocal spot news: Coverage of the Clarence Ray Allen execution on Jan. 16-18, 2006 by Tim Eberly, Bill McEwen and John Ellis.

* Photo essay: "Together at last" by John Walker. The photos accompanied a Dec. 24, 2006, story about a family that adopted six sisters, who had lived apart in foster homes, just in time for Christmas.

* Front page: The pages of Dec. 3 and Dec. 7, 2006

The Fresno Bee's second-place awards:

* Columns, commentary and criticism: Columns by McEwen

* Environmental or ag resources reporting: A series of fruit fly stories by Dennis Pollock.

The Fresno Bee also won five certificates of achievement for entries that were finalists but did not finish first or second.

Vida en el Valle won first place in local spot news, sports coverage, pay layout and design, and sports photo, and second place in investigative or enterprise reporting and general excellence.

The Clovis Independent won first place and second place in the sports story category, first place in sports photo and second place in editorial comment and page layout and design.

Major Advertisers: Gottschalks, Kmar, Sears, Macy’s, Save Mart, JC Penney, Vons, Walgreens, Longs Drugs, Rite Aid, Kohl’s, London Properties, Guarantee Real Estate, Verizon Wireless, Big 5, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Mervyn’s, Target, Selma Auto, Michael Automotive, Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, Table Mountain Casino, Mattressland.

Creative Ventures: The Fresno Bee’s direct marketing initiatives, specialty publications and innovations include:

• Fig Garden Villager: tied to local shopping center, mailed 11 months
• People’s Choice: annual awards publication inserted into The Fresno Bee, focusing on winners in numerous categories, judged by readers and online visitors
• Bee Values: shared mail product reaches non-subscribers each week
• Real Estate Showcase: the official publication of the Fresno Association of Realtors devoted exclusively to real estate advertising, printed in full color and distributed through newsstands.
• fresnobee.com: offers a full-slate of online advertising possibilities and has produced national award-winning retail ad campaigns for such advertisers as Gottschalks department stores.

Special Publications: Among many are:

• The Clovis Independent: a weekly newspaper covering the adjacent Clovis community of more than 90,000 publishes on Friday
• Vida en el Valle: weekly bilingual (Spanish) newspaper distributed throughout the Central Valley with five editions and 162,800 circulation
• Sierra Star: published twice weekly and serving eastern Madera County
• Imagine Fresno magazine: features and advertising on luxury living in the Central Valley, mailed to 25,000 households monthly
• Discover magazine: features and advertising focused on discovering the treasures of living in the Valley.

Well-Known Newsroom Personalities: Local columnist Bill McEwen, Editorial Page Editor Jim Boren, sports columnist Matt James, music writer and lifestyle columnist Mike Osegueda, food writer Joan Obra, movie reviewers Rick Bentley and Donald Munro, parenting columnist Mary Lou Aguirre and religion writer Ron Orozco.

Community Involvement: The Fresno Bee, and its community publications, have a long history of partnering with organizations and groups that significantly and positively impact the quality of life.

Each year, The Fresno Bee provides financial, advertising and volunteer assistance to nonprofit organizations in the Valley whose missions fit within seven areas of emphasis: arts, youth, diversity, social services, environment, literacy and education and community services.

In addition, the Bee has created several signature projects that support the community.

• The Fresno Bee has raised nearly $3 million over 20 years for Children’s Hospital Central California with its annual Kids Day events.
• Each holiday season, the Bee profiles families, individuals and organizations in the community who have needs through the Wrap Up a Wish program. Reader donations help fulfill these needs and support local nonprofits in their mission to serve the community.
• The Bee has adopted an elementary school where Bee employees volunteer their time to read with the children and help with after-school homework.

The Fresno Bee is a supporter -- and participant -- in many of the Valley’s most successful events, including The Big Fresno Fair, Fresno Historical Society's Civil War Reenactment, Grizzlies Baseball, Fresno Philharmonic, Fresno Grand Opera, Radio Bilingue’s Mariachi Festival, CSUF Vintage Days, and the Letter Carriers Food Drive.

The Community

Market: Fresno County, the 10th largest in the state, is the commercial, educational, and financial trade center of Central California and is the No. 1 agricultural economy in the world. Agriculture laid the groundwork for success, but more recently growth has come from the migrations from the state’s coastal areas due to more affordable living conditions. As many migrate to Fresno County from the bigger centers of the San Francisco Bay Area or the Los Angeles Basin, Fresno’s economy continues its fast growth and diversification.

Location: Centrally located, Fresno is the only city in the nation to serve as a gateway to three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The city is within easy driving distance to the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe and the three national parks. Its central location and affordable real estate has made Fresno attractive to people and companies alike.

Transportation: The major highways serving the county are highways 99 and 41 in the north-south direction, and highways 180 and 168 in the east-west direction. The city is also served by train, airline and bus services. Fresno is home to a multitude of trucking companies serving the state and the nation.

City Population: The Fresno/Clovis metro area boasts a population 640,000.

City Households: 206,200

Household Growth Rate:
The Fresno MSA* is projected to grow its households by 6.4% by the year 2010.
Total population is projected to grow by 9.2% by the year 2010

(*Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the Federal Government, is Fresno County)

Education:
High School Graduates: 29.3%
Some College: 21.7%
College Graduate: 11.2% Post-College: 7.4%

Ethnic Makeup:
White (Non-Hispanic): 41.3%
African-American (Non-Hispanic): 1.5%
Asian (Non-Hispanic): 2.72%
Other (Non-Hispanic): 6.61%
Hispanic: 47.1%

Median Age: 30.6 years

Average Income: $50,893

Median Home Value: $290,000

Average Rent: $782 per month for two-bedroom apartment.

Climate: Fresno is sunny and dry in the summer and cool in the winter. Mid-summer temperatures can occasionally top 100 degrees, but low humidity and gentle breezes help to make the high temperatures more bearable. Average rainfall is 11 inches with an average high temperature of 54 degrees in January and 98 degress in July.

Major Employers/Industries: Fresno Unified School District; County of Fresno; Community Medical Centers of Central California; City of Fresno; Clovis Unified School District; Foster Farms; California State University, Fresno; Internal Revenue Service Center; Kaiser Permanente; Ruiz Food Products, Inc.; Pelco, Inc.; Table Mountain Casino; VA Central; CA Health Care System; Gottschalks; Gap Distribution Center; City of Clovis.

Major Retailers: Best Buy, Costco, Gottschalks, JC Penney, Kohl's, Longs Drugs, Lowe's, Macy's, Save Mart Supermarkets, Sears, Target, The Home Depot, Vons, Walgreen's, Wal-Mart

Higher Learning: California State University, Fresno -- or "Fresno State"; Fresno City College; Fresno Pacific University; San Joaquin College of Law; Reedley College; West Hills College; College of Sequoias; Porterville College; University of California, Merced; Merced College

Culture: Fresno is home to numerous museums, including the African-American Museum, Arte Américas, Fresno Metropolitan Museum, Kearney Mansion, Fresno Art Museum, Meux Home and the Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art.

Fresno is also home to the renowned Fresno Philharmonic as well as the Fresno Grand Opera, Fresno Film Works Festival, The Fresno Dixieland Society, monthly Thursday’s Art Hop, Rouge Performance Festival and the CSU Fresno Summer Arts Festival.

Fresno’s Save Mart Center, has quickly become one of the nation's busiest concert arenas, bringing in performers not seen elsewhere on the West Coast such as Andrea Bocelli.

Sports:
Fresno State Athletics - Nationally ranked in many sports in NCAA Division I.
The Fresno Grizzlies - Pacific Coast League (AAA Baseball)
Fresno Falcons - East Coast Hockey League (AA Hockey)
Fresno Fuego - Premier Development League
Valley Coyotes - Arena Football 2

Major Annual Events: The Big Fresno Fair, the Clovis Rodeo, the Blossom and Fruit Trails, Concerts in the Park, Viva El Mariachi Festival, the Civil War Reenactment at Kearney Mansion, Clovis Big Hat Days, CSUF Vintage Days; Cinco de Mayo Festival, Selma Raisin Festival, Sudz in the City, Kingsburg Swedish Festival, Rumble to the Summit, the Save Mart Shootout, High Sierra Regatta at Huntington Lake, North American Pole Vault Championships, Arte Americas Nights in the Plaza, Fulton Plaza Thursdays, Christmas Tree Lane and Fresno Autorama.

Tourist Attractions: Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, Chaffee Zoo, Discovery Center, Forestiere Underground Gardens, Rotary Storyland and Playland, Wild Water Adventures, Island Waterpark, Shinzen Japanese Garden, Downing Planetarium, Grizzlies Stadium in downtown Fresno and the Save Mart Center.

Recreation: Fresno is a unique city surrounded by three national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Year-round visitors can enjoy guided tours, hiking, bird watching, camping, mountain climbing, fishing, horseback riding, rafting, swimming and more. Winter visitors enjoy cross-country and downhill skiing, snowboarding and ice skating.

In addition, Fresno boasts 47 parks that offer a wide variety of outdoor activities. From the 300-acre Woodward Park, which includes the 2,500-seat Rotary Theater and the popular Shinzen Japanese Garden, to Roeding Park, which features the Chaffee Zoo, Rotary Playland and Storyland, the Fresno area is a virtual playground. Fresno County has more lakes than any other county in the state. There are baseball and softball fields, volleyball and tennis courts, swimming pools and even a skate park in the area’s other public parks.

Nightlife: Fresno supports an eclectic mix of neighborhoods including The Tower District, Woodward Park, River Park, Downtown Fresno, Sunnyside, Old Fig Garden and more. Each neighborhood offers a variety of bars, restaurants, live music venues and shops unique to Fresno.

Claim to Fame and Fun Trivia about Fresno:

• CSUF Viticulture Enology Program -- One of only two wine making schools in the country and the only university winery that sells its own label. The CSUF wines have won awards against the best from around the world
• The first McDonald’s franchise restaurant opened July 22, 1955, in Fresno.
• Well-known food brands Sun-Maid, Dole, Star Fine Foods, Foster Farms, Zacky, Ruiz Foods, David & Sons and Harris Ranch Beef are all locally produced in Fresno County.
• Fresno City College – Founded in 1910, it was the first public junior college in California.
• Fresno County is known as the "Raisin Capital of the World." Ninety-nine percent of America’s raisins come from Fresno County.
• Fresno's 4,500-seat Edwards 21 cinema is the most successful link in the Edwards’ chain and consistently ranks among the top 10 in revenue among all theaters nationally.

Famous Citizens:

• William Saroyan -- The Pulitzer Prize-winning Armenian-American author wrote many plays and short stories about growing up impoverished as the son of Armenian immigrants. Saroyan lived in Fresno in the early and late years of his life. The city’s Convention Center theater is named in his memory.
• Audra McDonald -- Singer and actress McDonald, a Fresno native, has won Tony’s for her roles in Broadway performances of "A Raisin in the Sun," "Carousel," "Master Class" and "Ragtime." She currently stars as Naomi Bennett on ABC's popular television show "Private Practice."
• Tom Seaver -- Seaver, a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher learned his skills on the diamonds of Fresno.
• Alan Autry -- Autry, Fresno's current mayor, played Sgt. Bubba Skinner on the nationally televised "In the Heat of the Night."
• David Carr -- The Houston Texans’ No. 1 pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, was a star quarterback at Fresno State.
• Andy Finch --- A professional snowboarder and member of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Snowboarding Team, Finch placed first at the 2007 Australian Open. He grew up in Fresno.
• Bill Vukovich Sr. -- A two-time Indianapolis 500 winner in the 1950s.
• Cher – The world famous singer graduated from Fresno High.
• Tim McDonald -- The former NFL all-pro player grew up in Fresno, returned and owns the popular World Sports Café.
• Trent Dilfer -- The Super Bowl-winning quarterback attended Fresno State.
• Gary Soto -- An award-winning author and poet.
• Philip Levine -- Among other awards, Levine won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry in 1955. He eventually settled in Fresno to teach and write.
• Kirk Kerkorian -- Born and reared in Fresno, this billionaire was an important figure in shaping the city of Las Vegas. He now owns several Las Vegas resorts and has a large stake in General Motors.
• Jenifer "All-American" Alcorn -- The retired women's three-time world champion professional boxer (18-0) grew up in Fresno and was a catcher on the Fresno State softball team.
• Sid and Jenny Craig -- Founders of the Jenny Craig weight loss system, Sid Craig attended Fresno State in the 1950s. The business school is now named after him.
• Claude "Pop" Laval -- A commercial photographer from the 1900s, Laval is known for his photos of Fresno and the surrounding area.
• Sam Peckinpah -- Known for his violent westerns, film director Peckinpah grew up and attended high school in Fresno.
• Elbert "Burt" Rutan -- An aerospace engineer, Rutan won the X-Prize for commercial space flight in 2004. He was raised in nearby Dinuba.
• Barbara Morgan -- A NASA astronaut and teacher, Morgan attended Hoover High School.
• Kevin Federline -- Best known as Britney Spears' ex-husband, the back-up dancer and rapper attended Hoover High School.
• Joanna Kerns -- Best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the TV show "Growing Pains," Kerns is a Bullard High School alumna.
• Grace Lee Whitney -- Known for her trademark beehive hairdo and miniskirt, Whitney played the role of Yeoman Janice Rand on the classic "Star Trek" series. She resides in Coarsegold.
• Kevin Sweeney -- A Fresno State football standout player, Sweeney was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1987. He resides in Fresno.
• Marilyn Hamilton -- Hamilton is the founder of Quickie Wheelchairs, a Silver Medalist at the 1982 Paralympic Ski Championships and won national tennis championships in 1982 and 1983. She was born in Dinuba.
• Josh "Kos" Koscheck -- An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight, Koscheck is a mixed martial artist who resides in Fresno.

  Area Information:

  Fresno City & County Convention & Visitors Bureau
  848 M Street, 3rd Floor, Fresno, CA 93721
  559-445-8300 -- 800-788-0836
  559-445-0122 (fax)
  http://www.fresnocvb.org
  
  

  Recent Issues of the Newspaper: Back copies are available for up to one year after their publication date. They may be purchased in the lobby of The Fresno Bee or by calling 559 441-6338.

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