| San Jose Mercury News |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS | |
| publications established in 1851 | |
| newspapers published in california | |
| knight ridder publications | |
| san jose, california | |
| san francisco bay area newspapers | |
| medianews group | |
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The ''San Jose Mercury News'' is the major Newspaper in San Jose, California and the Silicon Valley . The paper is owned by Knight Ridder , which was bought by The McClatchy Company . Its sprawling headquarters and printing plant are located in North San Jose next to the Nimitz Freeway (Interstate 880) . The Mercury News' new owners plan to sell the paper. In the late 1990s, as Silicon Valley and the ''Mercury News'' soared in national prominence, KR moved its headquarters from Miami to an office tower in downtown San Jose to be closer to its rising star. The paper has a daily circulation of 274,000 and a Sunday circulation of 303,000. The paper is locally nicknamed 'The Merc'. HISTORY The ''San Jose Mercury'' was founded in 1851 as the ''San Jose Weekly Visitor'', while the ''San Jose News'' was founded in 1883. In 1942 the ''Mercury'' purchased the ''News'' and continued publishing both newspapers, with the ''Mercury'' as the morning paper and the ''News'' as the evening paper. In 1983 the papers were merged into the ''San Jose Mercury News'', with morning and afternoon editions. Eventually the less-popular afternoon edition was dropped, so at present the newspaper publishes only as a morning paper. The paper claims that the name "Mercury" refers to the importance of the Mercury industry during the California Gold Rush , when the city's New Almaden Mines (now Almaden Quicksilver County Park ) were the largest producer of mercury in North America . The name has a dual meaning, as Mercury (mythology) is the Roman god of commerce known for his swiftness, and the name ''Mercury'' is commonly used for newspapers without the quicksilver association. Because of its location in Silicon Valley, the ''Mercury News'' has covered many of the key events in the history of computing. In August 1996, the newspaper published Gary Webb's "Dark Alliance", a series of investigative articles linking the CIA to Nicaraguan contras organizing the distribution of Cocaine into United States. While first enthusiastic about the story, eight months later the executive editor would claim the story was faulty, in a letter to readers in which he stated: "I believe that we fell short at every step of our process." On March 13, 2006, The McClatchy Company announced their agreement to purchase Knight Ridder, the United States' second largest chain of daily newspapers and owner of the Mercury News. McClatchy decided that it would be expedient to explore the immediate resale of the Mercury News. {Link without Title} On April 26, 2006, it was annouced that the MediaNews Group will buy the Mercury News. {Link without Title} AWARDS The newspaper has earned several awards, including two Pulitzer Prize s, one in 1986 for reporting regarding political corruption in the Ferdinand Marcos administration in the Philippines , and one in 1989 for their comprehensive coverage of the Loma Prieta Earthquake . The Mercury News was also named one of the five best-designed newspapers in the world by the Society For News Design for work done in 2001. COVERAGE Much of the paper's local coverage is concentrated on Silicon Valley, the Peninsula, the southern portion of the East Bay, and Santa Cruz . Therefore, it is most widely available in those areas, as well as San Francisco . However, because Knight Ridder also owns the '' Contra Costa Times '' and the '' Monterey Herald '', the Mercury News has not expanded its distribution or coverage in those areas. PRICING For some time, the normal cost of a paper purchased Monday through Saturday was 35 cents (25 cents in some areas and 1 Dollar everywhere on Sundays), including tax. Sometime in 2005 the price was increased to a total of 50 cents, including tax.(the price of the Sunday paper remains at $1.00) No explanation was given to the public as to why the price was increased. REFERENCES
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