Copley Press
Encyclopedia
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
business, founded in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, but later based in La Jolla, California. Its flagship paper was The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
.
Pulitzer Prizes
Copley News Service and The San Diego Union-Tribune, with notable work by Marcus Stern and Jerry Kammer, won the 2006 National Reporting prize for their disclosure that former Congressman Randy Cunningham received bribes, which ultimately led to his criminal conviction and imprisonment.Additionally, the San Diego Evening Tribune, predecessor of the Union-Tribune, won Pulitzer Prizes in 1987 and 1979.
Allegations of collaboration with CIA and FBI
In the late 1970s, the American media reported that the Copley Press was used as a front by the Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. Reporters Joe Trento and Dave Roman claimed that James S. Copley
James S. Copley
James Strohn Copley was a journalist and newspaper publisher. He published the San Diego Union The San Diego Union-Tribune and the San Diego Evening Tribune from 1947 until his death in 1973, and was President of the Inter American Press Association . His politics was "unabashedly conservative,...
, who served as publisher until 1973, had cooperated with the CIA since its founding in 1947. They also reported that a subsidiary division, Copley News Service, was used in Latin America by the CIA as a front.
Trento and Roman also said that reporters at the Copley-owned San Diego Union and Evening News
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
spied on antiwar protesters for the FBI. They alleged that, at the height of these operations, at least two dozen Copley employees were simultaneously working for the CIA. James S. Copley was also accused of involvement in the CIA-funded Inter-American Press Association
Inter-American Press Association
The Inter American Press Association is a press advocacy group representing media organizations in North America, South America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1943, it represents more than 1,300 newspapers and magazines in the Americas...
.
Dissolution
Copley Press began selling off properties in the 2000s. Hollinger International bought the Company's Chicago-area publications (The Herald News, The Beacon News, The Courier News, and The News Sun, along with several smaller papers) in 2000. The remaining Illinois papers (The State Journal-Register, the Peoria Journal StarPeoria Journal Star
The Journal Star is the major daily newspaper for Peoria, Illinois and surrounding area. First owned locally, then employee-owned, it became a Copley-owned entity in 1996. In 2007, the paper was sold to Fairport, New York-based GateHouse Media.-History:...
, The Repository, and some smaller papers) were sold to GateHouse Media
GateHouse Media
GateHouse Media Inc. is a U.S. newspaper publisher, headquartered in Perinton, New York, that publishes 97 dailies in 20 states and 198 paid weeklies, in addition to free papers, shoppers and specialty and niche publications.- History :Liberty Group Publishing was formed in 1998 when Kenneth L...
in 2007.
In 2006, the Daily Breeze
Daily Breeze
The Daily Breeze is a 70,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Torrance, California. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor".- Early history :...
was sold to Hearst
Hearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
. In December 2007, the Union-Tribune reported that Copley Press was selling La Casa del Zorro, a resort it owned in Borrego Springs. Copley News Service itself was sold to Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate is an independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns for daily newspapers. It was founded in 1987 by Richard S. Newcombe, and is based in Los Angeles. Creators was one of the first syndicates to allow its clients to maintain creative control of their material...
for an undisclosed price and renamed Creators News Service, on 1 July 2008.
In late July 2008, the company began seeking buyers for the Union-Tribune, as well as several other businesses like Enlace, a free Spanish-language tabloid, and SignOnSanDiego.com, the online arm of the U-T. The announcement did not make clear what, if anything, would be left with the Copley Press name. Platinum Equity
Platinum Equity
Platinum Equity, LLC is a private equity investment firm founded by Tom Gores in 1995. The firm focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies in the U.S. and Europe....
agreed in March 2009 to purchase the Union-Tribune for an unspecified sum. Copley Press currently is working with Evercore Partners
Evercore Partners
Evercore Partners is an investment bank located in New York City. Evercore also has an investment management business through which the Company manages private equity and venture capital funds for institutional investors...
, the same company that helped sell off other business units, to determine a price for the remaining assets.
Declining advertising revenue was cited as the reason for the company's dissolution
Dissolution (law)
In law, dissolution has multiple meanings.Dissolution is the last stage of liquidation, the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed....
.
Publishers
- Ira Clifton CopleyIra Clifton CopleyIra Clifton Copley was a United States statesman and newspaper publisher.-Biography:...
— founder - James S. CopleyJames S. CopleyJames Strohn Copley was a journalist and newspaper publisher. He published the San Diego Union The San Diego Union-Tribune and the San Diego Evening Tribune from 1947 until his death in 1973, and was President of the Inter American Press Association . His politics was "unabashedly conservative,...
— 1947–1973 - Helen K. Copley — 1973–2001
- David C. CopleyDavid C. CopleyDavid C. Copley, was born 31 January 1952 in San Diego as David Hunt.In 1965, Hunt's mother married James Copley, the owner of Copley Press, and later became owner herself. David then became the adopted son of Copley. James Copley was publisher of the family-owned Copley Press chain of some 20...
— 2001 to 2009
Former Properties
- The San Diego Union-TribuneThe San Diego Union-Tribune-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
- The Sacramento Union
- The Santa Monica Evening Outlook
- Daily BreezeDaily BreezeThe Daily Breeze is a 70,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Torrance, California. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor".- Early history :...
- The State Journal-Register
- Peoria Journal StarPeoria Journal StarThe Journal Star is the major daily newspaper for Peoria, Illinois and surrounding area. First owned locally, then employee-owned, it became a Copley-owned entity in 1996. In 2007, the paper was sold to Fairport, New York-based GateHouse Media.-History:...
- The Repository
- Naperville SunNaperville SunThe Naperville Sun is a newspaper based in Naperville, Illinois. It is published six days a week, Sunday through Friday. It is owned by the Sun-Times Media Group, formerly Hollinger, a group that includes the Chicago Sun-Times, the Aurora Beacon News, the Joliet Herald News, the Elgin Courier News...
- Lake County News-Sun
- KCOP-TVKCOP-TVKCOP-TV, channel 13, is a television station in Los Angeles, California. Owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, KCOP is a sister station to Fox network outlet KTTV , and is affiliated with the MyNetworkTV programming service...
Los Angeles