On August 5, 1927, the first edition ofThe Desert Sun was published by Carl Barkow and Harvey Johnson, owners of theBanning Record. By 1938, the paper had a staff of four and a circulation of 1,700.[2] Barkow eventually gained sole ownership and sold the paper in 1946 to Oliver B. Jaynes.[3] Soon Jaynes expanded theSun from a weekly to a twice-weekly.[2] He was joined by Ward J. Risvold as a partner in 1952.[4]
The Desert Sun Publishing Co. incorporated in April 1955 and oil millionaire George E. Cameron Jr. joined Jaynes and Risvold as a joint owner.[5] Cameron served as president, Risvold as publisher and Jaynes as editor.[2] The paper expanded into a five-daily paper on October 4, 1955.[6] In 1957, Jaynes retired. In 1962, the circulation had grown to 10, 607.[2]
In 1985, The Evening News Association, which owned thePalm Springs Desert Sun,Indigo Daily News, was acquired for $717 million byGannett. At that time theDesert Sun had 30,871 subscribers and theDaily News had 9,116.[9] A few years later the paper broke ground on a new $21 million printing plant.[10] TheDaily News was merged into theSun in 1990.[11]
On, September 20, 2020,The Desert Sun ran its printing presses for the final time. Print editions of paper are now printed in Phoenix at Gannett's co-ownedArizona Republic.[12] On March 1, 2024, the paper's newsroom union went on strike to protest what it calledbad faith bargaining from Gannett. The work stoppage was the first indefinite strike in the paper's history. The next day the union ended its strike after reaching a tentative contract agreement.[13]
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