Departure of Sonoma Valley Sun's Editor Fuels Speculation About Its Future
By Gina Cuclis
Bill Hammett, Three House MultiMedia, Inc. chairman and Sonoma Valley Sun publisher, announced on the paper's website today that Stephanie Dunn is no longer with the local media organization. Dunn had been president for four years, which included serving as the Sun's editor. Her last day was Friday. Her sudden departure is causing speculation among those familiar with the newspaper about what will happen next.
Management Issues
The announcement puts a positive spin on Dunn's contributions. But the revolving door of employees over the last couple years, and the defection earlier this year of a few popular columnists to the Sun's revival, the Sonoma Index Tribune, tell a different story. Current and former employees hope this change will revitalize the paper. I, and many other Sun readers I've spoken to, think it was a much better paper during its first few years. Hammett started the Sun about five-and-half years ago.
Will There Still Be a Sonoma Sun?
Rumors are circulating that this could be the beginning of the end for the Sun. As a former journalist, I normally don't like to discuss rumors. But the Sun's financial viability has been a topic of discussion among readers and businesspeople for several months. I asked in one of my first blog posts in April, whether two newspapers could survive in Sonoma Valley?. A number of people told me, via e-mail and personal conversations, they doubted there are enough advertisers in Sonoma Valley to support two papers.
I like that there are two newspapers in Sonoma. I wish they both didn't publish on Fridays. Maybe the Sun will return to publishing on Thursdays, which it did originally. (The Index-Tribune is a twice-weekly paper also publishing on Tuesdays.)
Bill Hammett, Three House MultiMedia, Inc. chairman and Sonoma Valley Sun publisher, announced on the paper's website today that Stephanie Dunn is no longer with the local media organization. Dunn had been president for four years, which included serving as the Sun's editor. Her last day was Friday. Her sudden departure is causing speculation among those familiar with the newspaper about what will happen next.
Management Issues
The announcement puts a positive spin on Dunn's contributions. But the revolving door of employees over the last couple years, and the defection earlier this year of a few popular columnists to the Sun's revival, the Sonoma Index Tribune, tell a different story. Current and former employees hope this change will revitalize the paper. I, and many other Sun readers I've spoken to, think it was a much better paper during its first few years. Hammett started the Sun about five-and-half years ago.
Will There Still Be a Sonoma Sun?
Rumors are circulating that this could be the beginning of the end for the Sun. As a former journalist, I normally don't like to discuss rumors. But the Sun's financial viability has been a topic of discussion among readers and businesspeople for several months. I asked in one of my first blog posts in April, whether two newspapers could survive in Sonoma Valley?. A number of people told me, via e-mail and personal conversations, they doubted there are enough advertisers in Sonoma Valley to support two papers.
I like that there are two newspapers in Sonoma. I wish they both didn't publish on Fridays. Maybe the Sun will return to publishing on Thursdays, which it did originally. (The Index-Tribune is a twice-weekly paper also publishing on Tuesdays.)
Posted by Gina Cuclis at 9/21/2009 12:43 PM 
Categories: Newspapers
Tags: Sonoma Sun Sonoma Index Tribune newspapers
Categories: Newspapers
Tags: Sonoma Sun Sonoma Index Tribune newspapers
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4/18/2010 9:03 PM
BLOG.CUCLISPR.COM wrote:
By Gina Cuclis The announcement Thursday that four employees of the Sonoma Valley Sun have purchased the paper from founder and former publisher Bill Hammet signals hope for the financially struggling tabloid. Previous posts on this blog have discussed changes at the Sun and questioned whether two newspaper can survive in Sonoma Valley. The other paper is the Sonoma Index Tribune, which has existed since the 1800s. The Sonoma Valley Sun is less than six years old. New corporation formed The Sun's former corporate ... -
3/4/2010 9:32 PM
BLOG.CUCLISPR.COM wrote:
By Gina Cuclis The announcement Thursday that four employees of the Sonoma Valley Sun have purchased the paper from founder and former publisher Bill Hammet signals hope for the financially struggling tabloid. Previous posts on this blog have discussed changes at the Sun and questioned whether two newspaper can survive in Sonoma Valley. The other paper is the Sonoma Index Tribune, which has existed since the 1800s. The Sonoma Valley Sun is less than six years old.New corporation formedThe Sun's former corporate owner, Three House MultiMedia, Inc., has been dissolved. Its assets -- the weekly printed paper and its website ...
I hope that this publication is finding better times! I always enjoyed it's ability to keep me up to date on what's happening in the area, especially FineLife. So informative!
Cheers!
-Booker
Chrysalis School Montana
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FineLife is no longer published. It died with 3 House Media. Only the Sun print and online newspapers remain. There's plenty to read on its website.
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