Napa Valley Register

History

On August 10, 1863, the Napa Valley Register first published. It was founded by J.I. Horrell as a pro-Union paper, in contrast to the pro-Succession Napa Echo. By 1864, the newspaper had dropped “Valley” from its name, becoming simply the Napa Register, until returning to the original name over a century later.

Editor R.T. Montgomery retired from the paper in January 1966. He returned that May and sold it to N.E. White in January 1868. White left after six months and Montgomery returned again, only to later sell the Register a second time in November 1869 to R.D. Hopkins, formerly editor of the Vallejo Recorder. Hopkins sold to Rev. George W. Henning and George M. Francis in February 1872. The Register moved to daily publication in December 1872. Henning sold out to Charles A. Gardner in May 1873. Gardner left after a few years to run the St. Helena Star.

George M. Francis became sole owner of the Register in 1878, upon the death of his business partner. Francis was succeeded in ownership by his son George H. Francis in 1932. The paper remained with Francis and various partners until 1958, when it was sold to Scripps League Newspapers. Scripps was acquired by Pulitzer in 1996, and Pulitzer was acquired by Lee Enterprises in 2005.

Dan Evans became the paper's editor in March 2022, and he soon unveiled a newly reconstituted editorial board that October. The board was made up of three members of the newspaper's staff and seven community members. It aimed to assist in driving the official opinion of the paper.

In April 2023, the paper laid off two employees. In July 2023, the paper announced it will reduce its print schedule to three days a week: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Also, the newspaper will transition from carrier to postal delivery. In September 2024, Napa Valley Publishing, which publishes the paper, was sold by Lee Enterprises to Hoffmann Media Group.

References

References

1. Peter Jensen. (August 10, 2013). "Napa Valley Register turns 150". Napa Valley Publishing.
2. "First edition of The Napa Valley Register".
3. "About Napa Valley register. [volume] (Napa City, Calif.) 1863-1863". Library of Congress.
4. (August 13, 1863). "Another Paper.". The Sacramento Bee.
5. (August 17, 1863). "Correction.". The Sacramento Bee.
6. "About The Napa register. [volume] (Napa City, Calif.) 1864-1921". Library of Congress.
7. Michael WatersonI. (August 10, 2013). "Amid the Civil War, the Register birthed as abolitionist paper". Napa Valley Publishing.
8. (January 9, 1866). "Retired From The "Sanctum"". The Sacramento Bee.
9. (May 12, 1866). "Good Change.". Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel.
10. (January 23, 1868). "Changed Hands.". Petaluma Weekly Argus.
11. (July 17, 1868). "Newspaper Change.". The Chico Weekly Courant.
12. (November 13, 1869). "Notice". Petaluma Weekly Argus.
13. (February 5, 1872). "Notice". The Solano-Napa News Chronicle.
14. (December 3, 1872). "State And Coast Items.". The Morning Times.
15. (May 21, 1873). "Newspaper Change.". Petaluma Evening Argus.
16. (February 5, 1876). "Notice". The St. Helena Star.
17. (April 9, 1932). "G.M. Francis Claimed By Death {{!}} Venerable Publisher Here For Over 60 Years Passes At Age Of 87". The Napa Valley Register.
18. Huffman, Jennifer. (2024-09-30). "Napa Valley Publishing sold to Hoffmann Media Group".
19. (October 28, 1958). "Napa Register Added To Scripps League". Anaheim Bulletin.
20. Times Wire Services. (May 7, 1996). "Pulitzer to Purchase Scripps Newspapers". [[Los Angeles Times]].
21. Steinberg, Jacques. (February 1, 2005). "Pulitzer to Be Acquired by Lee Enterprises". New York Times.
22. Huffman, Jennifer. (28 March 2022). "Dan Evans named editor of Napa Valley Register".
23. Evans. (October 1, 2022). "Start the Presses: Introducing the editorial board". Napa Valley Publishing.
24. Sarfaty, Cheryl. (2023-04-26). "Napa Valley Register layoffs are latest in an industry battling economic headwinds".
25. (2023-06-18). "Your expanded Napa Valley Register coming soon".