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David Cohen
Cohen heads up SVCN as independent company
By Dale Bryant
The Cupertino Courier and the five other community newspapers which have been published under the umbrella of Metro Newspapers, have begun operating as an independent business under the banner of Silicon Valley Community Newspapers (SVCN Inc.). David Cohen, who co-founded Metro, Silicon Valley's weekly alternative newspaper, in 1985, has been named SVCN's Publisher/CEO.
There were a number of reasons for the decision to spin the community papers into a separate company, Cohen said, but the primary one was the unexpected success of the publications.
Metro Newspapers began publishing community newspapers in 1990 when it purchased the Los Gatos Weekly and the more than 100-year-old Los Gatos Times- Observer, which were combined as the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. In 1991, the company acquired the weekly Saratoga News and the Willow Glen Resident, a monthly, which now publishes weekly.
Cohen acknowledged that although starting the communities was "sort of a sideline," the company did continue to acquire and start newspapers around Silicon Valley.
In 1993, Metro Newspapers began publishing a newspaper in Cupertino, and acquired its competitor, the Cupertino Courier, in 1995. The company founded The Sun in 1993. The most recent addition to the community family was The Campbell Reporter, which began publishing in March, 1999.
Although the company's primary focus continued to be Metro the community papers were growing and improving. And soon, they began to earn statewide recognition.
The more established Los Gatos Weekly-Times and Saratoga News both have been honored as "Newspapers of General Excellence" by the California Newspaper Publishers Association. The newer papers were soon winning awards as well. The Courier has been recognized by CNPA several times with awards for public service and spot news as well as a second place for general excellence; the brand new Campbell Reporter took a first place in design.
Meanwhile, advertising revenues were growing, and the papers became more substantial. "We started to think it might be time to stop treating our community papers as a sideline," Cohen said. "We realized that by focusing on community publishing with a clear, new identity, we would be able to cover our exceptional communities even better than we do now."
There were other reasons why it began to make sense to spin off the community papers Cohen said. Not only was the company adding new community newspapers, it was expanding its alternative publications in the Bay Area, most recently with the purchase of Urbanview in Oakland and the relaunch of the Sonoma Independent as the Northern California Bohemian, with distribution extended to Napa and Marin counties.
"With all our diverse publications under the same umbrella, we were sending mixed messages," Cohen said. "Our community sales staff was having to explain the difference between the two types of products."
Unlike community newspapers which are generally home delivered in a single town or neighborhood, alternative papers are picked up at workplaces and in business districts throughout a region, Cohen explained. "Alternative papers focus on arts, culture and entertainment and provide an alternative perspective to mainstream news. Community papers cover the activities of schools, municipal government and local law enforcement as well as features on members of the community."
Cohen said the company slowly began separating functions about two years ago with the goal of eventually creating two separate companies, but it wasn't until the end of last year that things got on the fast track. "We had been thinking of hiring a publisher from outside the organization, but I started to realize it was a job I'd really enjoy doing myself. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got," Cohen said.
Both Cohen, and his business partner, Dan Pulcrano, with whom he had co-founded Metro Newspapers, agreed the move made sense, as it would give Cohen the opportunity to focus on growing SVCN while Pulcrano concentrated on Metro and its sister publications in the Bay Area.
This summer, SVCN will move into its corporate headquarters at 1085-1095 The Alameda, in San Jose.
Jeannette Close, who has been Advertising Director of the six community newspapers, continues as Ad Director of SVCN. Dale Bryant, former editor of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times and the Saratoga News, as well as managing editor of the community papers, succeeds Dan Pulcrano as Executive Editor. Lisa Thomas, a long-time Metro Newspapers employee, who has served in a number of capacities, has been named Operations Manager.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
