Hello and welcome to the June edition of Scoop, official publication of the San Francisco Press Club.
It remains a tumultuous period for the news media, nationally and in the region.
In a legal and symbolic victory for the Trump administration, a divided federal appeals court in Washington has ruled that the White House can exclude the Associated Press from certain restricted areas, following the AP’s refusal to adopt Trump’s preferred term “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico. The restricted areas include the Oval Office, Air ForceOne and Mar-a-Lago. The court left in place a lower-court order that gave the AP access to such larger spaces as The East Room.
Meanwhile, the administration has overhauled the White House press pool, restricting access to several legacy outlets, while making space for pro-Trump and alternative media.
In an executive order, President Trump also directed an end to federal funding for public media such as PBS and NPR. In response, NPR, PBS and local public stations have sued, charging violations of the First Amendment and statutory safeguards.
In happier news closer to home, the San Francisco Press Club has announced its annual Awards Gala will take place on Tuesday Dec. 9. Once again the event will be held in the beautiful Julia Morgan Ballroom in downtown San Francisco. Stay tuned for more details on the awards contest and the event.
Questions, feedback or want to flag an item for our next edition? Reach the editors at scoop@sfpressclub.org.
And so, on with the news. . .
MEDIA NEWS
The big story in the Bay Area during the past month was the sale of Sonoma Media Investments, parent company to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, to Denver-based Media News Group, a subsidiary of Alden Global Capital, which owns hundreds of weekly and daily publications across the United States.The news came as a surprise as it had been widely believed that a sale of the Santa Rosa paper to Hearst Corporation was imminent. The sale adds to Media News’ considerable presence in the Bay Area. Other media properties in the region owned by the group include: The Mercury News, East Bay Times, Marin Independent Journal, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Vallejo Times-Herald and Vacaville Reporter.
Valkyries air on CBS stations. The Golden State Valkyries WNBA team has announced a broadcast schedule for 2025. It includes games on KPIX (channel 5), and KPIX+ (channel 44, cable 12). The team also said Sacramento fans can watch Valkyries games on KMAX (channel 31) or KOVR (channel 13).
SF Gate National Parks Bureau. SFGATE has hired three outdoors journalists to cover news from and about national parks. The company says national parks coverage now accounts for a remarkable 12% of SFGATE’s total traffic.
KNBR bids adieu to SF. In late May, KNBR ended a continuous 103-year presence in San Francisco by relocating its studios to Daly City. The station’s final broadcast from 750 Battery Street featured hosts Greg Papa and Greg Silver reflecting on KNBR’s legacy.
A smart way to approach AI. Bay City News was featured in a Missouri School of Journalism article on ways that newsrooms can make appropriate and ethical use of artificial intelligence.
EVENTS
June 1-30 — SF Pride events, collectively themed Queer Joy is Resistance, take place throughout the month. The 55th Annual SF Pride Celebration starts at the Embarcadero at 10 on the 29th and goes down Market Street to Civic Center.
June 25 — San Jose Mayor. Manny’s, the Mission District gathering spot, hosts an evening with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. from 6 to 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance.
June 26 — SFGATE presents Best of the Bay Area Readers Choice Awards at the Chase Center at 6-10 p.m.
JOBS
The San Francisco Chronicle is seeking an audience editor to help manage digital platforms ($80-90,000). KGO-TV ABC7 is hiring a news writer/producer ($23.26-57.12 an hour). Nexstar KRON4 is seeking a weekday morning show producer ($32.45/hour), a part-time meteorologist ($45.33/hour) and a news production assistant ($25/hour).
SF Standard is hiring an evening deputy breaking news editor ($1,700-$2,400/week), a food reporter ($75,000-$110,000) and a social media editor ($75,000-$110,000).
KQED is hiring a senior editor, digital news ($112,000-$140,000) and a senior editor, forum and talk programming ($112,000-$140,000).
The Register, Situation Publishing’s technology news publication, is seeking a senior editor for its San Francisco office.
This month’s Scoop was written by Dan Rosenheim and edited by Paula Bernier. Interested in sponsoring a future edition? Get in touch at board@sfpressclub.org