 | This articlemay rely excessively on sourcestoo closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from beingverifiable andneutral. Please helpimprove it by replacing them with more appropriatecitations toreliable, independent sources.(June 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Type | Alternative weekly |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Chico Community Publishing, Inc.; Coachella Valley Independent LLC |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Headquarters | Chico CA, Sacramento CA and Reno NV |
| Website | newsreview renonr |
TheNews & Review is a group of freealternative weekly newspapers published byChico Community Publishing, Inc. ofChico, California. The company publishes theChico News & Review inChico, California, theSacramento News & Review inSacramento, California, and, through January 30, 2022, theReno News & Review inReno, Nevada. On January 31, 2022, theReno News & Review was sold to Coachella Valley Independent LLC.[1]
The chain started out as an on-campus newspaper forCalifornia State University, Chico calledThe Wildcat, but after a dispute with the administration, the newspaper moved off campus to become an independent publication.[2]
Print publication of the newspapers was temporarily suspended after publisher Jeff vonKaenel told employees on March 16, 2020, that theCOVID-19 pandemic led to a drastic downturn in advertising revenue that had already been in decline.[3][4][5] Although a digital presence was maintained on the three newspapers' websites, much of the staff was laid off with the publication of editions dated March 19, 2020.[6]
However, beginning in July 2020, the Sacramento News & Review andChico News & Review returned to newsstands with monthly issues. TheSacramento News & Review was forced to suspend print publication once again in January 2021.[7] TheChico News & Review continued printing monthly issues until announcing in December 2023 that its last physical edition will be printed January 11, 2024. Afterward its content will strictly run online.[8]
TheSacramento News & Review remains online-only.[9] TheReno News & Review resumed print publication as a monthly starting with the June 2022 issue.[10]
 | |
| Format | Website |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Chico Community Publishing, Inc. |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Headquarters | Chico, CA |
| Website | chico |
| Free online archives | newsreview |
TheChico News & Review (CN&R) is the first of the three News & Review papers, founded in 1977. TheChico News & Review is noted as one of the few alternative papers to out-circulate its local daily paper, theChico Enterprise-Record, with a cumulative readership of over 100,000, according to theCirculation Verification Council's 2015 report. The founding editor was Robert Speer, and the current editor is also the editor of the Sacramento News & Review, Scott T. Anderson, who is based in the Sacramento area. Anderson took over for longtime arts editor Jason Cassidy, who was promoted after longtime Editor-in-Chief Melissa Daugherty, the first woman to helm the paper, relinquished her role after the pandemic shut down the newspaper.[11] The paper did return to print monthly, albeit as a significantly smaller publication, but eventually transitioned to online-only, where it remains today. Its writing comes solely from freelance contributors, as there are no local editorial staff members.
In 2016, a partnership with the North Valley Community Foundation, and matching small community donations helped support investigative journalism inButte County, California. After the decline of advertising support in March 2020, community members began supporting the paper through contributions made on their website.The CN&R's most well-known annual issues are:
In 2005, theChico News & Review started the Chico Area Music Celebration (CAMMIES) to honor the vibrant, eclectic music scene inButte County, California. Winners are selected by CN&R readers in a list of musical genres, including Singer-songwriter,Hard rock/Metal,Blues,Jam/R&B/Funk,Rap,Punk/Ska and others. Critics vote for winners in more specific areas, e.g. Best Male/Female vocalist, Best Guitarist, Best Drummer, Best Local CD, Local Badass, etc.[15]
Keep Chico Weird is an annual event to honor the weird ofChico andButte County, who help foster an environment of tolerance and creativity. CN&R produces a Keep Chico Weird Art Show and a Keep Chico Weird Talent Show, that highlights a wide range of artists and art, includingsword swallowers,mimes,spelling-bee champs,organ grinders, etc.[16]
Chico Beer Week is another annual event celebrating craft beer in Chico and is coordinated with local breweries, bars, restaurants and retailers responsible for the area's local craft-beer scene.[17]
The continuation of these annual events is unclear due to the limitations the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on the paper.
 | |
| Format | Previously print alt-weekly, now website |
|---|---|
| Owner | Chico Community Publishing |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | Sacramento, CA |
| Website | sacramento |
| Free online archives | newsreview |
TheSacramento News & Review (SN&R), founded in 1989, was the largest of the three News & Review papers prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a cumulative readership of roughly 330,000 people, according to the Winter 2015 Media Audit Report, run byInternational Demographics.[19][20] The founding editor was Melinda Welsh; Scott Anderson is currently acting news editor.[21]
Its most well-known annual issues are:
These annual issues have been suspended in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2013, a grant from the Sacramento Emergency Foodlink allowed the SN&R to conduct independent research, reporting and distribution of articles on the subject of poverty in the Sacramento region from November 2012 to October 2013.[24]
The paper is noted as the last place of employment of investigative journalistGary Webb, who began working at the paper after theDark Alliance scandal. Webb allegedlycommitted suicide while working for the paper.[25][26]
In 1992, theSacramento News & Review started theSacramento Area Music Awards (SAMMIES) to honor and promote the growing music scene in Sacramento.[27] Winners are selected by SN&R readers in a list of musical genres, includingFolk rock,Funk,Hard rock,Blues,Punk and many more.[28] Critics vote for winners in more specific areas, e.g. Male/Female vocalist, Keyboardist, Bassist, etc.[29] Winners of the SAMMIES includeCake (band),Deftones,Oleander (band) and others.[30]
On the first anniversary ofSeptember 11, the Sacramento News & Review brought together musical acts from different faith groups around Sacramento for a Call For Unity Event to symbolize the city's acceptance of racial and religious diversity.[31] Every year someone in the region was honored with a Building Unity Award for their interfaith work in Sacramento, until 2008, when the last Call for Unity event was held.[32]
In December 2015, the News & Review, in partnership with Sacramento's localHabitat for Humanity, began a Build for Unity project, where Muslims, Christians, and other faith groups came together to build Habitat houses, in part as a response to the anti-Muslim rhetoric of national politics.[33][34] The project was funded in large part by generous donations from a wide range of faith groups.
In 2015, after learning that MayorKevin Johnson primarily used a private email account with his staff while in public office, the Sacramento News & Review issued aFreedom of Information request to gain access to (then) MayorKevin Johnson's emails.[36] An attorney for the city deemed the emails public property, but instead of handing them over, the Mayor moved to sue the Sacramento News & Review and thecity of Sacramento.[37] In response to the lawsuit, the Sacramento News & Review published a cover story where, according to their statement, a cartoon depictsKevin Johnson as "sweaty and nervous while reading about his lawsuit against this paper and allegations of email misuse."[38] Betty Williams, the former president of Sacramento's localNAACP and a longtime associate ofKevin Johnson, released a statement criticizing the paper for its "racially biased news coverage" of the mayor, mainly referring to the cartoon portrayal of the mayor.[38][39] The lawsuit and the allegations of racially biased news coverage attracted the attention ofDeadspin who began covering the story, bringing national attention to the many allegations againstKevin Johnson, including allegations of sexual assault and harassment. This national attention put pressure onESPN to not air a film praisingKevin Johnson's work inSacramento with theSacramento Kings and their new downtown arena. Almost immediately afterESPN pulled the film,Kevin Johnson announced that he would not be seeking another term asMayor of the City of Sacramento.[40] In March 2016, the News & Review was recognized by theJames Madison Freedom of Information Awards for its significant contributions to advancing freedom of information for this legal battle to obtain Sacramento MayorKevin Johnson's emails.[41]
In June 2022, theSacramento News & Review, along with theSacramento Observer,[42] brought together seven Sacramento news organizations into a collaborative called Solving Sacramento. TheSacramento Business Journal,[43] Russian American Media (a three-publication media company),[44]Outword Magazine (an LGBTQ+ publication),[45]CapRadio,[46] and Univision Sacramento[47] also joined the collaborative effort, working together to produce and share local news stories. The initial focus was on affordable housing and rebooting the arts.[48]
This collaborative was initially funded through a grant from Solutions Journalism Network,[49] and is fiscally sponsored by Local Media Foundation.[50]
 | |
| Format | Previously print alt-weekly, now print monthly plus website |
|---|---|
| Owner | Coachella Valley Independent LLC |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Reno, NV |
| Website | renonr |
TheReno News & Review (RN&R) was founded in 1995, when News & Review purchased the assets ofNevada Weekly, changing the name and creating the third News & Review paper. TheReno News & Review has a cumulative readership of roughly 90,000, according to the Winter 2015 Media Audit Report, run byInternational Demographics.[19] Longtime editor D. Brian Burghart stepped down in 2016 to focus on his national project, Fatal Encounters, which uses crowd sourced data to estimate the number ofkillings by law enforcement officers in the United States.[51] The paper's current editor is Frank X. Mullen, who came out of retirement in 2020 to write for the paper.[52]
On January 31, 2022, the assets of the newspaper were sold to Coachella Valley Independent LLC, a company owned by Reno native and former RN&R editor Jimmy Boegle, who also publishes the Coachella Valley Independent in Palm Springs, California.[53] Boegle announced the paper would be launching a new website, RenoNR.com, and said he had a goal of bringing the paper back to print as a monthly sometime in 2022.[1] In April, the RN&R announced it would resume print publication as a monthly starting with a June 2022 issue.[10] The June 2022 issue began hitting streets over Memorial Day weekend.[54]
Its most well-known annual issues are:
Rollin' on the River began in 1996 as a community concert series, and has evolved into one of Reno's largest free summer music events. Rollin' on the River is held in Wingfield Park, an island amphitheater on theTruckee River, during the month of July and features both local and regional touring artists.[57]
N&R Publications was founded in 2010 as a separate division of the company that produces client publications for nonprofit organizations, government agencies and businesses. The publications, which are distributed both in print and digitally, use a journalistic approach to tell stories that communicate the messages of the client organizations. The custom publications cover many topics, including health, education, environment, social justice, child support, mosquito & vector control, disabilities, veterans and housing. N&R Publication Editor is Thea Rood. The division has produced more than 675 publications for clients across the country.[63]
In 2002, in cooperation withAlterNet, the News & Review led a national project with more than 30 weeklies nationwide to cover the story of married priests and theCatholic Church reform movement.[64][65]
In 2007, the News & Review, with the help of a small grant from theAssociation of Alternative Newsmedia, led 53 alternative weeklies across the country in a joint cover project marking the 10-year anniversary of the Kyoto Accord, the first international attempt to bring world leaders together tocombat climate change.[66][67]
In 2012, the News & Review received a grant from the Sierra Health Foundation to help fund stories throughout California about the state's low rates of participation inCalFresh, colloquially known as food stamps.[68]
In 2015, the News & Review led a nationwide project, Letters to the Future, asking authors, artists, scientists and other to write to future generations predicting the success or failure of the 2015 U.N. Climate Talks in Paris.[67][69] Hundreds of letters were collected and presented to diplomats present in Paris, including letters penned byMichael Pollan,Jane Smiley,Stephen Robinson,Aisha Kahlil,T. C. Boyle,Kim Stanley Robinson,Annie Leonard,Roxana Robinson,Jack Miles,Pam Houston,Geraldine Brooks (writer),Rebecca Goldstein,Lois Wolk,Harry Reid,Brent Bourgeois and others.[70]