Santa Barbara Independent
| Type | Community journalism |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Publisher | Randy Campbell |
| Editor-in-chief | Marianne Partridge |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | 122 W. Figueroa St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101  United States |
| Circulation | 40,000[1] |
| Official website | independent.com |
The Santa Barbara Independent is a news, arts, and entertainment newspaper published every Thursday in Santa Barbara, California.
Contents |
[edit] History
The weekly paper was founded in November 1986. It is owned by four people within a corporation — Marianne Partridge, who came to California from New York in the 1980s and is the editor-in-chief, Randy Campbell, who grew up in Santa Barbara and is the publisher, and two silent partners from New York and Boston — Rick Grand-Jean and Richard Parker.[citation needed]
[edit] Lawsuit
Partridge filed a lawsuit on February 11, 2010, against Campbell, alleging breach of contract after Campbell failed to sell his 51% controlling interest that he had offered to sell to her under their buy-sell agreement. Campbell filed a cross-complaint claiming breach because Partridge had obtained a loan to purchase Campbell's shares. The lender was Joe Cole, a lawyer and a former publisher of the Santa Barbara News-Press. [2] In November 2010, a week before the trial, Campbell added Cole as a defendant and two new causes of action against Cole only: breach of fiduciary duty and injunctive relief prohibiting Cole from participating in, financing, or advising Partridge in her attempt to purchase Campbell’s shares. [3] Cole had represented Campbell in 1997 regarding a different weekly newspaper in another county.
Partridge's lawsuit was tried for six days in August, 2011. Judge Denise de Bellefeuille ruled that Campbell breached the buy-sell contract and must sell all his interests to Partridge. The Judge rejected Campbell's claims against Partridge. [4] The Judge, further, in her November 3, 2011 written decision, reduced Campbell's $1,377,000 sales price by $229,793 to reflect dividends Campbell had received from the company before trial, offset by 5% interest Campbell might have earned on the purchase price had he closed as scheduled. [5] The Court later ordered Campbell to pay Partridge $358,742 in legal fees and Campbell has appealed. [6]
Before the trial, Cole appealed Campbell's claims against him on constitutional grounds and that appeal is pending. In the Court's November 3, 2011 written opinion, Judge de Bellefeuille found that: "Suffice it to say, the evidence presented at this phase of the trial merely shows that Mr. Cole represented Mr. Campbell in an unrelated business dispute in the last century. There is no evidence thus far that Mr. Cole breached any attorney-client privilege to Mr. Campbell in negotiating with Ms. Partridge or acting as her financial backer to buy Mr. Campbell's interest in The Independent." [7]
[edit] Circulation
In 2010 the Independent had a circulation of 40,000, the largest circulated newspaper in Santa Barbara County.[1] A December 2004 report by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies reported that the paper's audience was 68 percent female and that nearly half the readers were over 45 years old.[citation needed]
[edit] Attributes
The paper includes news stories, arts, music, book, and film coverage, an entertainment calendar, a lifestyle section, and reviews of restaurants and culture. The Independent also does investigative reporting on a variety of issues, from the environment to local politics.[citation needed]
After the beginning of the Santa Barbara News-Press controversy in 2006, the Independent implemented Web-based columns and news articles at independent.com. The internet edition is updated daily, and more frequently during some local events, such as the 2008 Gap and Tea brush fires and the Jesusita fire in 2009. A community-alert system called IndyAlert has also been developed to send out e-mail and cell-phone messages during disasters and community emergencies.[8] The website, independent.com, was deemed the most-visited news website in Santa Barbara County.[9]
In 2008, the newspaper industry magazine Editor & Publisher named independent.com[10] the Best Weekly Affiliated Website in the United States. In 2008 the Independent was named one of "10 That Do It Right,"[11] for exemplary newspaper publishing.
The paper has been described by editor-in-chief Marianne Partridge as somewhat liberal.[12]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Verified Audit Circulation
- ^ http://www.independent.com/news/2010/apr/08/filling-gaps-emindyem-rumble/]
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ "Our History"
- ^ Website traffic reports comparing Santa Barbara news sites
- ^ independent.com, Independent.com Wins An Eppy, May 15, 2008
- ^ independent.com, "Santa Barbara Independent Named One of “10 That Do It Right," August 3, 2008
- ^ "Santa Barbara People: The Santa Barbara Independent". Santa Barbara Live!. http://www.santabarbaralive.com/sbpeople.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
