The Beverly Hills Courier

The Beverly Hills Courier
Type Free weekly newspaper published Fridays
Format Compact
Owner(s) Paula Kent Meehan
Publisher Marcia Wilson Hobbs
Founded July 22, 1965
Headquarters 499 North Canon Drive
Suite 100
Beverly Hills, California 90210
 United States
ISSN 0892-645X
Website www.bhcourier.com

The Beverly Hills Courier is a free weekly tabloid-sized print newspaper of circulation in Beverly Hills and the surrounding communities, and a daily web newspaper.

History

The publication was founded by March Schwartz in 1965.[1] The editorial guidance of his managing editor Arthur M. Goldberg from 1966 to 2003. Both individuals were products of the long-defunct evening companion newspaper to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Mirror, where Schwartz was the classified sales manager and Goldberg was the editor. In 2004, the Courier's then-editor, Norma Zager, was awarded Journalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club for her series on a lawsuit brought by Erin Brockovich.[2]

In 2004, after suffering a debilitating stroke, Schwartz reluctantly sold The Courier to The San Marino Tribune Company, Inc. whose owner, attorney Clifton S. Smith, Jr., assumed the role of publisher of the Courier.[3][4] Smith staffed the newspaper with former Hollywood Reporter columnist George Christy[5] whose Courier column has appeared on foxnews.com.[6] Guest columnists have included Joan Rivers. Since 2004, Rabbi Jacob Pressman has published a weekly column.[7] Courier articles have been cited by the Los Angeles Times.[8]

The Courier subscribes to Agence France-Presse and City News Service. Its website features updates throughout the day, seven days a week. The entire print edition is also available from the website. The paper is delivered free to residences each Friday. As of 2013, it self-reports a circulation of 40,000.[9]

Smith sold the Courier to entrepreneur Paula Kent Meehan, co-founder of the Redken hair-care company, in April 2014[10] – just two months before Meehan's death.[11] Associate publisher Marcia Wilson Hobbs replaced Smith as the publisher.

Reception

The Courier has been described as "conservative" by LA Weekly blogger Dennis Romero[12] in a city which is "heavily liberal and Democratic".[13]Josh E. Gross, publisher of the competing Beverly Hills Weekly, described Clifton S. Smith Jr., the Courier's then owner/publisher, as "right-wing" and "bombastic".[14] A 2013 Los Angeles Times article about the Courier noted that "Smith delivers his opinions on civic matters in the heavily Democratic city through tart editorials that lean libertarian."[9]

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has criticized the Courier for publishing errors and misleading statements with regards to the Westside Subway Extension.[15][16] Damien Newton of LA streetsblog has accused the Courier of publishing libel with its coverage of seismology experts who weighed in on the geotechnical issues facing the subway extension.[17]

Two-time Beverly Hills mayor Barry Brucker has accused the Courier of being biased in its coverage of the local city government and various development projects.[18] Beverly Hills City Manager, Jeff Kolin, has accused the Courier of printing false allegations with regards to an article alleging city staff had falsified documents concerning city water rates,[19] and has rebuked the paper for being misleading by confounding the city's 2012 budgetary surplus with unfunded pension liabilities.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ ‘Beverly Hills Courier’ Founder/Publisher March J. Schwartz Dead At 97, The Beverly Hills Courier, September 07, 2014
  2. ↑ "2004 Southern California Journalism Award Winners". Los Angeles Press Club. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  3. ↑ "San Marino Tribune Company Directory of Business Contacts". Salesforce's data.com. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  4. ↑ "Clifton S. Smith". LexisNexis. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  5. ↑ Weintraub, Bernard (28 May 2001). "Hollywood Paper Suspends Column by George Christy". New York Times. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  6. ↑ "George Christy Archive". FOX News Network. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  7. ↑ Danielle Berrin, Rabbi Jacob Pressman takes a bow, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, December 3, 2008
  8. ↑ Horowitz, Joy (27 June 2007). "Schoolyard secrets". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  9. 1 2 Rainey, James; Martha Groves (6 August 2013). "Small paper in Beverly Hills has big voice". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  10. ↑ Groves, Martha (April 18, 2014). "Philanthropist Paula Kent Meehan buys the Beverly Hills Courier". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  11. ↑ Arévalo, Penny (23 June 2014). "OBIT: Paula Kent Meehan, Co-Founder of Redkin, Promoter of All Things Beverly Hills". Beverly Hills Patch. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  12. ↑ Romero, Dennis (9 Jan 2012). "Ron Paul's Beverly Hills Street Art Removed". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  13. ↑ Cole, Rudy (6 Nov 2006). "Rodeo Or The O.K. Corral?" (PDF). Beverly Hills Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  14. ↑ Gross, Josh (21 Oct 2009). "Why the Meshkaty Scandal Won't Go Away" (PDF). Beverly Hills Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Hymon, Steve. "Subway Facts & History: Metro responds to errors in Beverly Hills Courier and allegations by Beverly Hills school district". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  16. ↑ Antolin, Daniel (8 May 2011). "Courier Allegedly Misreported Subway Extension". Canyon News. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  17. ↑ Newton, Damien. "Bev. Hills Courier's Big Scoop: Metro Does Mailings". StreetsBlog. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  18. ↑ "Beverly Hills Mayor Accuses Courier Of "Scare and Panic" Tactics". Curbed Los Angeles. 29 October 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  19. ↑ Kolin, Jeff (23 July 2012). "City Manager Writes Open Letter to 'Courier' Calling for Retraction". Patch. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  20. ↑ Taglieri, Joe (18 February 2013). "City Pensions: Kolin Responds to Courier". Patch. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
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