The Reporter (Vacaville)

History

The first issue of The Reporter was published on March 10, 1883 by editor and proprietor James D. McClain. A year later the paper was bought by attorney Raleigh Barcar. On March 4, 1885, Barcar changed the paper's name to Judicion. The word "Judicion" was invented by Barcar. He wrote it was a word of "merit" and intended it to be "a refinement of Gumption," which he thought inelegant.

On Feb. 4, 1886, McClain started another rival paper in Vacaville called The Reporter. A.B. Leach of Judicion sued McClain for $2,500 to stop him from using that name. On Jan. 19, 1889, Henry I. Fisher and Albert Sears started the Vaca Valley Enterprise, which Barcar bought in 1891 and consolidated with Judicion. In 1892, Barcar bought McClain's paper and renamed Judicion back to The Reporter. In 1901, R.B. Stitt launched the Vacaville Leader and Barcar soon bought this paper as well.

In April 1902, Clayton L. Adsit became a co-owner with Raleigh Barcar, and two years later Edward "Andy" Cleveland bought out Barcar in October 1903. Adsit worked as the paper's editor until his sudden death in March 1935. That July, plant employee John Rico purchased the interests of the deceased Adsit. Andrews retired in 1942 and sold out to Rico.

The Rico family operated the paper until selling it to MediaNews Group in 2002. At that time the paper had a circulation of 17,820 on weekdays and 19,201 on Sundays. In 2013, MediaNews Group merged and became Digital First Media which is controlled by Alden Global Capital.

References

References

1. "Bay Area News Group Market Book".
2. "Reporter (Vacaville, Calif.) 1983-Current".
3. (March 10, 1883). "Salutatory.". Vacaville Reporter.
4. (May 29, 1967). "A Newspaper and Town Grow Together {{!}} A History of Vacaville Reporter". Vacaville Reporter.
5. (March 12, 1885). "Notice". The St. Helena Star.
6. (May 2, 1974). "Reporter Files: 91-Year History of Vacaville.". Vacaville Reporter.
7. (February 8, 1886). "Press Notes.". The Sacramento Union.
8. (May 21, 1886). "Vacaville Newspapers.". The Solano-Napa News Chronicle.
9. (January 13, 1889). "Local Brevities". The San Francisco Examiner.
10. (April 5, 1891). "Note And Comment.". The Sacramento Union.
11. (April 25, 1902). "Personal And Social.". The St. Helena Star.
12. (October 4, 1903). "Notice". Napa Journal.
13. (March 8, 1935). "Clayton Adsit Is Summoned. Editor of Vacaville Reporter, Former St. Helena Boy, Dies Suddenly". The St. Helena Star.
14. (July 19, 1935). "Vacaville Reporter Has New Partner". Winters Express.
15. (November 29, 1946). "Death Claims E.C. Andrews; Veteran Newspaper Publisher". Vacaville Reporter.
16. (2002-08-16). "Vacaville newspaper sold to Denver media firm". San Francisco Business Times.
17. (August 17, 2002). "MediaNews buys Vacaville Reporter". The Sacramento Bee.
18. (2013-12-31). "So Long, MediaNews Group; Hello Digital First Media".