Historical Note
The San Francisco News-Call Bulletin was the final incarnation of several newspapers with a long history in the city of San Francisco. Formed in August 1959 by the merging of The San Francisco News and The Call Bulletin, the paper was also the descendant of The Call, The Bulletin, The San Francisco Journal and The San Francisco Post. Under these various titles, the newspaper's history dates back to the earliest years of the city of San Francisco. The photographic and newsclipping files that make up the present archive, however, date to the second decade of the twentieth century (ca. 1915), therefore this later period is most important for an understanding of the collection.
The Bulletin originated as The Daily Evening Bulletin, and was first published in 1855. Its founding publisher was James King of William, and under his leadership and that of his successors, it gained a reputation as a reform newspaper. Fremont Older was appointed editor in 1895 and served until 1918. In 1895, the name was changed to The Bulletin. In 1924, after a merger with San Francisco Journal and Daily Journal of Commerce, the paper ran under the title: The San Francisco Bulletin and San Francisco Journal and Daily Journal of Commerce. The title was shortened once again to The Bulletin in 1926.
The Call was first published in 1856 as The Daily Morning Call. Its early decades were distinguished by its reform politics and by the fact that in 1863 and 1864 Mark Twain was one of its writers. For a period in the 1870s it was allied with (although not merged with) The Bulletin, in competition with The Chronicle. In 1878 the paper's name was changed to The Morning Call. Its progressive era ended in 1895 when it was purchased by John D. Spreckels. At this time its name was shortened once again and it became The Call. Ownership of the paper passed through the hands of M.H. De Young in 1913, who sold it to William Randolph Hearst in the same year. A merger with The San Francisco Evening Post in 1913 resulted in yet another change in title, creating The San Francisco Call and Post. Fremont Older, formerly of The Bulletin, was later appointed editor and restored the paper's prominence in reform politics. Older served in this position until his death in 1935.
The San Francisco Call and Post and The Bulletin were merged in 1929 when W.R. Hearst purchased The Bulletin. From August 29, 1929 through Oct. 9, 1929, the combined paper ran under the title The San Francisco Call Bulletin and Post. This was shortened to The San Francisco Call Bulletin with the issue of Oct. 10, 1929. The newspaper continued under the ownership of Hearst and the management of John Francis Neylan and his successor Edmond D. Coblentz until 1959, at which time the San Francisco News was absorbed through a Hearst purchase, and The San Francisco News-Call Bulletin was formed. (The San Francisco News had been founded as The Daily News by E.W. Scripps in 1903. It was a progressive paper, largely espousing labor issues, and its name was changed to The San Francisco News in 1927. An apparently unrelated paper titled The Daily News was published in San Francisco in 1878.)
The San Francisco News-Call Bulletin (titled simply The News-Call Bulletin after April 7, 1962) was published by Apex Publishing Company from August 10, 1959 until September 11, 1965. At this time it was absorbed into the Hearst morning newspaper, The San Francisco Examiner and ceased to be published.
References:
Hart, James D.
A companion to California.
New York: Oxford University. Press, 1978: pp. 375-377.
"Two Brilliant Newspaper Traditions United," In
The San Francisco News-Call Bulletin
(September 11, 1965): p. 5.
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