The Gilroy Dispatch is a weekly newspaper published in Gilroy, California. It is owned by Weeklys.

History

On Sept. 12, 1868, G.M Hanson and C.F. Macy published the first edition of the Gilroy Advocate.^[1] Frederick W. Blake purchased the paper in 1877^[2] and published it until his death in 1907.^[3] At that time, the Advocate was passed down to his son William F. Blake.^[2]

On Sept. 12, 1925, John N. Hall and Thomas Losey published the first edition of the Gilroy Dispatch.^[4] Losey sold his stake to Al Nedom in 1926.^[5] Lloyd E. Smith sold the Anderson News and bought out Nedom in 1928,^[6][7] and then John N. Hall two years later.^[8] Smith bought the Gilroy Advocate in 1933 from William F. Blake.^[9] Six years later Smith sold his papers in 1939 to Anderson Browne and James W. Marmaduke.^[10] A few months later Smith bought the Los Gatos Times.^[11]

In 1941, William G. Werner bought the Gilroy Dispatch, at that time a five-day daily paper, the weekly Gilroy Advocate and shopper Gilroy Advertiser.^[12] At some point the Advocate was absorbed into the Dispatch. In 1949, William G. Werner sold the Dispatch to Joseph C. Houghteling, Patrick H. Peabody and George R. Kane.^[13] In 1972, Jerry Fuchs and Millard Hoyle bought the paper from the trio. Fuchs was the paper's business manager and Hoyle was owner of the Hollister Free Lance.^[14] In 1978, Fuchs and Hoyle sold the Dispatch to El Dorado Newspapers Publishing Co., a subsidiary owned by McClatchy Newspapers. At that time the paper had a circulation of 6,500.^[15]

In 1997, McClatchy sold the Gilroy Dispatch, along with the Hollister Free Lance, Morgan Hill Times and Amador Ledger-Dispatchto Central Valley Publishing, which was managed by USMedia Group, Inc., of Crystal City, Missouri.^[16] The company's name was changed a few years later to Pacific Sierra Publishing Company.^[17] In 2004, Mainstreet Media purchased ten publications from Pacific Sierra, including the Disptch.^[18] In April 2014, the Dispatch was purchased by New SV Media Inc., a subsidiary of Metro Newspapers of San Jose, California.^[19] After decades in a building at the south end of Monterey Street, the Dispatch returned to downtown Gilroy in August 2016, moving its offices to 64 W 6th St.^[20]

References