Gazette Newspaper Preservation and Access Project

Title: Gazette Newspaper Preservation and Access Project

Dates: 1977-2022

Collection Number: 2022.023, 2022.300

Creator/Collector: Tedi and Pat Cantalupo; Fran and Jon Blowitz; MediaNews Grunion Gazette; Downtown Gazette; Uptown Gazette

Extent: : Total 43 linear feet Series 1: 40 linear feet; 80 document boxes. Newspapers are paper volumes 11.5x17 inches, between 30 and 75 pages; ObjectID numbers 1 to 4,066. Series 2: Two square feet of display space, 3/4 archival shelf.

Repository: Historical Society of Long Beach

Abstract: This collection recounts weekly activities, businesses, events, people, sports, arts, culture, and other hyperlocal Long Beach, CA community interests from 1977- 2022. Materials include newspapers, photographs, two newspaper racks, and one art sculpture.

Language of Material: English

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the Historical Society of Long Beach. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Historical Society of Long Beach as the owner of the physical materials, and does not include permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

[Identification of item]. Gazette Newspaper Preservation and Access Project. Collection Number: 2022.023, 2022.300. Historical Society of Long Beach

This collection donated by Simon Grieve to the Historical Society of Long Beach in 2022.

The Gazette is a weekly newspaper that has been in operation since June 23, 1977. Tedi and Pat Cantalupo started the newspaper to serve the Belmont Shore and Naples neighborhoods of Long Beach, CA, with circulation eventually including East Long Beach. Fran and Jon Blowitz purchased the Grunion Gazette in 1981 and increased scope, content, and circulation. They began publishing the Downtown Gazette to serve those communities in 1988. All titles were sold to MediaNews in 2004, who added the Uptown Gazette to serve North Long Beach, California Heights, Bixby Knolls, Virginia Country Club and other communities in the northern area of Long Beach in 2008. All titles and content combined in 2018 under the Grunion Gazette moniker, and continued to serve all of Long Beach. The Gazette collection offers a counter-point to the Press-Telegram’s coverage of the city and community. How and what the Gazette family of newspapers reported affected generations of local people. In the Gazette’s early years, circulation and advertisements catered to the white, affluent, neighborhoods of Belmont Shore and Naples, however, readers included Latinos, Japanese Americans, African Americans, and residents who may not have been subscribers to daily newspapers. Because the Gazettes were free, they were a “go-to” source of information for high school and college students before the internet. It was an accessible source of news and local information, a place to learn about cultural events, find housing, employment, and like-minded individuals to share experiences.

Series 1 consists of newspapers only, size 11.5x17, folded on left binding, pages numbering between 30 and 75 depending on the issue. They are cataloged as part of the larger HSLB Historic Newspaper Collection. The Gazettes cover community activities, events, businesses, advertisements, personal ads, and more with a hyperlocal journalistic approach from 1977-2022. The original publication, Grunion Gazette, becomes a two-part paper, second section titled “Lifestyle Gazette,” later “Sports,” and finally “Community.” In October of 1988, the Downtown Gazette began publishing, and in October of 2008, the Uptown Gazette began publishing. A “Special Edition” focused on various subjects such as education appears sparingly. In 2018, the three publications were consolidated into one, the Grunion Gazette, and distributed throughout the city. Newspapers are organized by volume, number, and date. When the volume and/or number designations are repeated or incorrect, the object is recorded in the database with the correction and [SIC {number on paper object}]. Series 2 includes photographs, an art sculpture made out of Gazette newspapers, and folding racks used for newspaper distribution. The photographic collection is approximately 2,500 photographs housed on one archival shelf. Long Beach Grand Prix makes up approximately 25 percent of the collection in print, negative, slide, and CD mediums, arranged by year. The other 75 percent of the photographs are print, sized 4x6 up to 8x10 representing people, places, and events covered in the Gazette newspapers, arranged by LCSH as close as possible. Within this arrangement, standard alphabetizing rules apply.