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Mid Valley Times

(Redirected from The Reedley Exponent)

The Mid Valley Times is a weekly newspaper, published on Thursdays, serving Reedley, Dinuba, Sanger, and surrounding communities in Fresno County and Tulare County, California. It was known as the Reedley Exponent until July, 2019, when it merged with the Dinuba Sentinel and the Sanger Herald. At the time of the merger, the Herald was the oldest business in Sanger. The Sanger Herald was founded in 1889, the Reedley Exponent was founded in 1891. It has a current circulation of 3,400 copies and it is edited by Jon Earnest.[1]

Mid Valley Times
Front page for August 1, 2024
TypeWeekly newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Mineral King Publishing, Inc.
Founder(s)E. P. Dewey (Sanger Herald)
A.S. Jones (Reedley Exponent)
PublisherReggie Ellis
EditorPaul Myers
Founded1889; 135 years ago (1889) (as the Sanger Herald)
March 1891; 133 years ago (1891-03) (as the Reedley Exponent)
LanguageEnglish
Relaunched2019
Headquarters1059 G Street, Reedley, CA 93654 United States
CityReedley, CA
CountryUnited States
Circulation3,300 (as of 2023)[1]
ReadershipReedley, Sanger, Dinuba, and surrounding communities in Fresno and Tulare Counties
Sister newspapersThe Sun-Gazette
OCLC number38869692
Websitemidvalleytimes.com

The paper was owned by Mid-Valley Publishing Inc. and published by Fred Hall until his death in March 2022. It has been operated by Mineral King Publishing, the publisher of The Sun-Gazette, ever since. The company officially took ownership of the paper on May 1, 2023.[2]

History

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Reedley Exponent

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The Reedley Exponent was founded in March 1891 by A.S. Jones.[3][4] The first edition of the paper was printed in a room at the Knauer home and post office building. It moved to G Street the following year; that office burned down and was later rebuilt.[5] The paper was soon owned by W.W. Holland.[6]

John Fairweather, who also an active public political figure,[7] was editor and proprietor of the Reedley Exponent for 20 years, starting in 1896.[8] In 1897, Fairweather started a subscription list for the purpose of helping pay for the rights of way for the Valley road.[9] He passed the paper on to his son, John Henry Fairweather, in 1915. John Henry Fairweather later became vice president of Fresno County Press Association.[10] In 1920, J.H. Fairweather saved two women and a man from drowning.[11]

In 1914, Willie O. Besaw, a local photographer, experimented with self-cancelling stamp designs in the Exponent office.[12] Besaw later applied for a U.S. patent for his design.[13]

In 1922, the paper became known as the Reedley Exponent and Ledger.[14] In 1931, it was renamed back to Reedley Exponent.[15] J.H. Fairweather became postmaster of Reedley in 1933, but remained with the paper.[16]

The first ad for the Model T Ford appeared in the Reedley Exponent in September 1927.[17]

Helen Fairweather Burke published and edited the paper in the 1930s.[18][19] After then, John Henry Jr., John Henry Fairweather's son, took over the paper until he entered the U.S. Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. John Henry Jr.'s brother, James, took over the paper and continued publishing it until 1970.[19]

After publishing the paper for 79 years, the Fairweather family sold the Reedley Exponent to Mr. and Mrs. Glen Hage in 1970.[20]

John McGoff, president of Panax Corp., purchased the Exponent in 1976.[21] The paper was sold again in 1978 and purchased by Sierra Publishing Company.[22] In 1982, the Exponent became part of Foothill Communications Corporation.[23]

Sanger Herald

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The Sanger Herald was founded by E. P. Dewey, only one year after the establishment of the town of Sanger.[24] John Thomas Walton is credited as their first subscriber, as well as the first man to be married in Sanger.[25]

In 1920 Sanger News was consolidated with the Sanger Herald.[26]

In 1935 the Herald was selected as one of the 11 most outstanding weekly newspapers in the United States.[24]

On the 50th anniversary of the publication they put out a 'Golden Jubilee Edition'. The Sanger Herald staff took it upon themselves to research the history of their town's name; it had been rumored that a member of the original town survey party was named Sanger and the town adopted the name upon establishment in 1887. They consulted the Post Office Department in Washington and contacted Alice B. Sanger, daughter of Joseph Sanger Jr. and found out that Sanger was named after Joseph by a group of railroad officials. Joseph Sanger Jr.'s portrait was featured in the Golden Jubilee Edition, marking the first time the citizens of Sanger saw the man their town was named for.[25]

Glenn and Norma Hage purchased the newspaper from editor and owner Seymour Sterling in 1968.[27][28] The Hages also purchased the Reedley Exponent in 1970.[29] They later sold both papers to John McGoff of Sierra Publishing.[30]

Dinuba Sentinel

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The Dinuba Sentinel was established on Feb. 18, 1909, and was a legally adjudicated newspaper for the city of Dinuba and the county of Tulare. Between April 7, 1919 and February 22, 1921, it was published six days each week. The newspaper was also published under the names Dinuba Advocate and Orosi Progress.[citation needed]

Mid Valley Times

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The Exponent struggled to compete with online news sources, and the decision was made to merge the local newspapers of Reedley, Dinuba, and Sanger to consolidate subscribers and cut costs. The merger went into place in July 2019.

Since Mineral King Publishing took over the Mid Valley Times in May 2023, the newspaper has expanded its coverage area to include Parlier, Orange Cove, Kingsburg and Selma. The former offices of the Sanger Herald, 740 N St., Sanger, CA 93657, now serve as the print shop for Mineral King Publishing, which prints nearly all of the legally adjudicated newspapers in Fresno County.

Awards

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Reedley Exponent

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Gruner Awards

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Year Award/Story Recipient
2007[31] Jaclyne Badal
2016[32] "Brother to Brother" Felicia Cousart Matlosz
2024[33] “Reedley building examination uncovers abandoned lab mice” Darren Fraser

Sanger Herald

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Sanger Herald won first place for best investigative reporting in the 2016 Better Newspapers Contest hosted by the California Newspaper Publishers Association.[34]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Reedley Exponent newspaper - MondoTimes.com". www.mondotimes.com. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  2. ^ Staff, The Sun-Gazette (2023-05-02). "Sun-Gazette adds owners, buys Fresno County paper". The Sun-Gazette Newspaper. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  3. ^ "First Newspapers. A brief history of Fresno County pre 1891 Journalism. - Trails Section - Clovis Free Press". www.clovisnews.com. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  4. ^ "Fresno Yesterdays - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  5. ^ Zech, Kenneth (2015). Reedley. Arcadia Publishing. p. 77. ISBN 9781467132671.
  6. ^ "Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Holland - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  7. ^ The Forester. 1902. pp. 207–208.
  8. ^ "John Fairweather and son have purchased - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  9. ^ "Coast Exchanges". The San Francisco Call. 4 Jan 1897 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Western Advertising. R. Oppenheim. 1919. p. 26.
  11. ^ "Jumps into river to rescue woman". Madera Mercury. 22 June 1920.
  12. ^ "A Snapshot In Time: Reedley Photographer George Besaw, An Early Pioneer of the Postcard". Kings River Life Magazine. 2011-04-02. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  13. ^ US 1131464A, Willie O Besaw, "Postage-stamp.", issued 1914-09-21 
  14. ^ "Reedley exponent and ledger". Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  15. ^ "The Reedley exponent". Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  16. ^ "Reedley Editor, Postmaster Dies". Retrieved 2018-11-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Celebrating Our Centennial: Part III Reedley Enters The Roaring Twenties". Kings River Life Magazine. 2013-06-08. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  18. ^ "Helen Fairweather Burke". Retrieved 2018-11-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b "hage buys exponent - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  20. ^ "Fairweathers sell Exponent After 79 Years". The Fresno Bee. 1 Aug 1970. p. 15. Retrieved 2018-11-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Sacramento Union publisher buys Reedley Exponent". Retrieved 2018-11-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Sierra Publishing Purchases Fresno Afternoon Paper - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  23. ^ "Sale Agreement Between Sierra, Foothill". The Orangevale News. Folsom, California. 3 Feb 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 2018-11-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b "Sanger Herald Has Anniversary Edition". Berkeley Daily Gazette. 3 May 1938.
  25. ^ a b Society, Scott Haugland, Ken Marcantonio, and Hal Shaw with the Sanger Historical (2013). Sanger. Arcadia Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 9781467130189.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ Western Advertising. R. Oppenheim. 1920. p. 35.
  27. ^ "Area Couples Buy Newspaper in California". Star Tribune. 11 Mar 1968.
  28. ^ "Rites Set for Mayor of Sanger". The Los Angeles Times. January 17, 1977. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  29. ^ "Fairweathers Sell Exponent After 79 Years". The Fresno Bee The Republican. 1 Aug 1970.
  30. ^ "Publisher agrees to buy weekly papers". The Newark Advocate. 29 Dec 1976.
  31. ^ "Times-Delta wins Valley news awards - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  32. ^ "Bee's Castillo wins Gruner Award for public-service journalism". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 26 Oct 2018.
  33. ^ "Reedley building examination uncovers abandoned lab mice". Mid Valley Times. June 15, 2023. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023.
  34. ^ "Fresno Bee wins 9 first-place awards in annual statewide newspaper contest". The Fresno Bee. 30 Apr 2016.
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