P.O. Box 112 3825 S. Higuera Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-0112 805-781-7800 www.SanLuisObispo.com The Paper The Community

The Paper

Motto: People you know, the paper you trust.

Founded: Descended from three newspapers founded in 1869 and 1905 and merged in 1939. Joined Knight Ridder in 1997. Joined McClatchy in 2006 with McClatchy's acquisition of Knight Ridder.

Key Executives:
Bruce Ray, President and Publisher
Sandra Duerr, Vice President and Executive Editor
Don Dodds, Vice President of Production
Devon Goetz, Vice President of Human Resources
Paul Taylor, Vice President of Circulation
Sergio Holguin, Vice President of Online and Marketing
Terrie Banish: Director of Advertising Services

Newsroom Hiring Contact: Managing Editor Tad Weber: 805-781-7906 or e-mail tweber@thetribunenews.com.

General Hiring Contact: Vice President of Human Resources Devon Goetz at 805-781-7805 or e-mail dgoetz@thetribunenews.com.

Distinction: Oldest business in San Luis Obispo

Market: San Luis Obispo County

Circulation Area: San Luis Obispo County

Customers: Subscribers are likely to be well-educated, affluent, slightly older and more white collar than the market average.

Site: The Tribune's main production site is 47,000 square feet and is located in the city of San Luis Obispo. The Cambrian, The Tribune's weekly newspaper, is located in Cambria.

Readership: 90,800 daily; 102,000 Sunday

Circulation: 35,919 daily; 41,511 Sunday

Size: Averages 36 pages daily; 53 pages Sunday

Single-Copy Sales: 3,581 daily; 4,689 Sunday

Carrier Force: Independent contractors

Website: www.SanLuisObispo.com

Unique Visitors/Page Views: The Tribune's website receives more than 390,000 monthly unique visitors and 1.9 million monthly page views.

Production: Managing Editor's ALS used for page make-up; Kodak CtP Trendsetters with Southern Litho plate processors and Nela in-line plate bender; 14-unit Goss Urbanite press with 6 Jardis paster units; GMA SLS 2000 12:2 inserter; Mueller-Martini stitcher-trimmer; AccraPly Post-It Note applicators.

Technology: Editorial content paginated using QuarkXPress, classifieds output using Digital Technology International (DTI) ClassSpeed software suite, and custom publications produced via Unisys Hermes. There are more than 75 Macintosh computers and 150 PCs on the Ethernet Local and Wide Area Networks utilizing TCP/IP protocal. QuarkXPress and Adobe Creative Suite software are used in the creation of the newspaper.

The Sacramento Bee hosts Publishing Business Systems' Advertising Management (PBS AM) and Circulation Management (PBS CM) on a Sun Enterprise v880 server. Two local Sun Ultra2 servers host the Digital Technology International (DTI) classified advertising Sybase databases. Human Resources and payroll utilize corporate PeopleSoft and Kronos systems. PeopleSoft is used for all finance and budget applications.

Employees: 147

Newsroom Staff:
Reporters/writers: 13
Editors: 7
Copy editors: 7
Photographers: 3
Graphic artists: 2

Major Awards:

2010

Society for News Design (annual international competition) Three awards, all for front pages (circulation category: under 50,000). The winning pages were a horizontal Obama inauguration front page; and Obama front page when he addressed Congress in 2009 (with a colorful galaxy image in the teasers); and a front page featuring the modeling career of a local resident. Only three other California newspapers received SND awards: the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News. Also, only one other American newspaper in The Tribune's circulation category had as many as three awards (a paper in Dubuque, Iowa). California Newspaper Publisher's Association's Better Newspaper Contest (coverage period spanned April 1, 2008, through Oct. 31, 2009) The Tribune received 10 awards -- two first-place awards, three second-place awards and five honorable mentions (circulation category: 25,001 to 75,000). A highly competitive category given that most of the state's daily newspapers fall within this circulation range, including some larger papers whose circulations fell into this range during the year. First place: Business/Financial story to Melanie Cleveland for her story on "The rise and fall of a homebuilding empire (Hertel)" First place: Environmental/Ag Resource reporting to David Sneed for his series "Solar Mecca" Second place: Environmental/Ag Resource reporting to David Sneed, Bob Cuddy and Nick Wilson for their series, "Dunes: Playground or deathtrap?" Second place: Investigative/Enterprise reporting to Leslie Parilla for her two-day nurses series "In the care of a criminal" Second place: Sports coverage to the sports staff Honorable mention: Columns to Bill Morem Honorable mention: Front Page for Jan. 15 and Jan. 21 front pages Honorable mention: Lifestyles coverage to features staff Honorable mention: Photo Essay to David Middlecamp for "Confronting cancer" Honorable mention: Sports Photo to Joe Johnston for "Greyhounds refocused" In addition, The Cambrian won two awards -- one second place and one honorable mention (circulation category 4,300 and under). Second place: Investigative/Enterprise reporting to Kathe Tanner for allegations of euthanasia at the Dancing Star Foundation animal sanctuary on the North Coast Honorable mention: Local News Coverage to Kathe Tanner for the closing of the Harmony post office

2009

Associated Press Executive News Council for California and Nevada The Tribune received six awards in this annual competition (circulation category: 25,000 to 74,999) First place: David Sneed and Sona Patel, Business Writing, for their three-part series on how the fishing industry's collapse is altering Morro Bay First place, Leslie Parrilla, Investigative Reporting, for her series "In the care of a criminal" that found gaps in the regulatory system that keeps nurses who have been convicted of crimes out of hospitals First place, David Middlecamp, Picture Story, for his series of photos on a local woman confronting cancer First place, Joe Johnston, Portrait, for his image of a holy man Second place, Bob Cuddy, Nick Wilson and David Sneed for their three-part series, "Dunes: Playground or deathtrap?" Second place, Julie Lynem, Local Column, for her piece on Michelle Obama, "Patriots love their country in spite of flaws"

Major Advertisers: Rite Aid, Sears Holding, Verizon, Kohl's, CVS, Scolaris, Big 5, Office Max, AT&T, San Luis Motorsports, Michaels, Heritage Oaks Bank, Rabobank, Advanced Hearing, Home Depot, Prudential Realty, Lowes, Home Elegance Furniture, Best Buy, H&R Block

Special Publications: The Tribune offers an array of weekly, monthly and annual special advertising sections. To target the real estate market, The Tribune publishes Real Estate Weekly on Saturday and Showcase on Sunday, as well as Real Estate Monthly, distributed in the paper and on racks countywide. "Vintages" -- a glossy magazine published bi-annually with a searchable online directory of all county wineries -- covers the wine industry on the Central Coast. The Tribune publishes more than 50 annual special sections, including Living Here, Cambria Phone Directory, California Weds, the Mid-State Fair Guide, the Paso Wine Guide, the Area Agency on Aging Health Care Guide, Profiles of Success, Pinedorado and the Downtown Gift Guide. For a copy of the complete list of special advertising sections with deadlines and publication dates, contact The Tribune's advertising department at 805-781-7844.

Well-Known Newsroom Personalities: Local columnists: Phil Dirkx, Bill Morem, Bob Cuddy, Linda Lewis Griffith, Judy Salamacha, Kathe Tanner, John Lindsey and Lon Allen.

Community Involvement: The newspaper supports numerous community events and organizations, including the Mid-State Fair, Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival, the City to the Sea Mini-Marathon, Festival Mozaic, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, The Amgen Tour of California, I Madonnari, the Paso Robles Wine Festival, Cal Poly Athletics, the San Luis Obispo Symphony and the Atascadero Wine Festival, in addition to many other smaller community events. The Tribune is also very involved with organizations such as the Food Bank, The San Luis Obispo Literacy Council, the Alzheimer's Association, the Downtown Association and the American Cancer Society. Many of The Tribune's employees support the community as members of local service clubs such as Rotary and the Chamber of of Commerce.

The Community

The Market: San Luis Obispo County is located on California's Central Coast, approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

County Population: 265,297 (2008 estimate)

Population Growth Rate: Up 7.75% (2000-2008)

Ethnic Makeup: 73.1% Non-Latino white; 19.1% Latinos; 3.2% Asians; 2.1% African Americans; 0.1% Pacific Islanders; 1.1% American Indians; and 2.5% multi-ethnicities.

Median Age: 37.6 years

Median Household Income: $60,088

Median Home Price: $562,900 (2006-2008)

Climate: San Luis Obispo County enjoys moderate and sunny weather year round, making it a popular vacation destination.

Major Employers/Industries (listed alphabetically): Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, Atascadero State Hospital, California Mid-State Fair, Cal Poly University, County Office of Education, Cuesta College, Division of Juvenile Justice, Ernie Ball, French Hospital, Hearst Castle, Madonna Inn, Morro Bay Art Association Gallery, PG&E, Ramirez Farm Labor, San Luis Obispo County Social Services, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department, Selma Carlson Diagnostic Center, Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, Twin Cities Community Hospital, U.S. Army Department , Wal-Mart. The top industries are tourism, agriculture, small retail, and light manufacturing and construction.

Major Retailers: Rite Aid, Sears, Verizon, Kohl's, CVS Pharmacy, Scolari's, Big 5, Office Max, AT&T, San Luis Motorsports, Michaels, Heritage Oaks Bank, Rabobank, Advanced Hearing, Home Depot, Prudential Realty, Lowe's, Home Elegance Furniture, Best Buy, H&R Block

Higher Learning: Cal Poly, Cuesta College

Culture: The Performing Arts Center located on the Cal Poly campus, San Luis Obispo Symphony, San Luis Obispo Little Theater, Melodrama, International Film Festival, Mozart Festival, Children's Museum, San Luis Obispo Art Museum, Arroyo Grande Performing Arts Center

Major Annual Events: Mozart Festival; Mid-State Fair; Mardi Gras; I Madonnari Italian Street Painting; Wildflower Triathalon; Pismo Beach Street Rod Custom Car Show; City-to-Sea Mini Marathon; Morro Bay Harbor Festival; Paso Robles Wine Festival; International Film Festival; Lighted Boat Parade; Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival; Central Coast Wine Classic; and Live Oak Music Festival

Tourist Attractions: San Luis Obispo and San Miguel missions; Hearst Castle (San Simeon); Paso Robles and Edna Valley vineyards and wine-tasting; Pismo Beach; Morro Rock; Madonna Inn; Avila Beach; San Luis Obispo Farmer's Market; and Charles Paddock Zoo

Nightlife: Clubs, restaurants and theaters

Sports: Cal Poly and Cuesta college teams, local high schools and amateur teams

Claim to Fame: The Tribune was the first newspaper to report that a Japanese submarine sank U.S. oil tanker off the California coast on Dec. 23, 1941. The story was then suppressed by the secretary of war after it was also printed in The Cambrian and San Francisco Call.

Famous Citizens: Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst; fitness guru Jack LaLanne; former Reagan National Security Adviser and Interior Secretary William Clark; singer and actor Zac Efron; Cal Poly sports stars John Madden, Ozzie Smith, Bobby Beathard and Chuck Liddel

Trivia: James Dean died in an automobile accident in San Luis Obispo County. Clark Gable married Lady Sylvia Stanley, widow of Douglas Fairbanks, in San Luis Obispo. The Frisbee was invented here, and Jamba Juice started here.

Area Information:
San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau
1037 Mill Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
800 634-1414
www.SanLuisObispoCounty.org

San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce
1039 Chorro Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
805-781-2670
www.SLOChamber.org

Recent Issues of the Newspaper:
The Tribune
P.O. Box 112
3825 Higuera Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-0112
805-781-7878
www.SanLuisObispo.com

(This profile was last updated on April 27, 2010)

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