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The Santa Clarita Valley Signal

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The Santa Clarita Valley Signal
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Richard and Chris Budman
FounderEdward H. Brown
PublisherRichard Budman
EditorTim Whyte
Managing editor
Perry R. Smith[1]
Founded1919
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters25060 Avenue Stanford
Santa Clarita, California 91355
 United States
Circulation8,000 (as of 2018)
Websitesignalscv.com

The Santa Clarita Valley Signal is a newspaper in Santa Clarita, California, originally founded in 1919. It is owned by Richard and Chris Budman.

History

On February 7, 1919, Edward H. Brown published the first edition of the Newhall Signal in Newhall, California.[2] Brown died a year later.[3] The Signal was then publisher by his widow, Blanche B. Brown.[4] In 1924, Thornton Doelle founded the Saugus Enterprise.[5] The Signal and Enterprise soon merged with Doelle as lessee and editor.[6] In 1925, Mrs. Brown sold the paper to A.B. Thatcher and William T. Stonecypher.[7] A few months later Stonecypher exited the business.[8]

In 1938, Thatcher sold the Signal to brothers Mark S. Trueblood and Fred W. Trueblood Sr.[9] In 1960, F.W. Trueblood Sr. died.[10] In 1963, Ray W. Brooks, publisher of the Sunland Record Ledger, bought the Signal from the Trueblood family.[11] Later that year, Scott Newhall, long-time editor of the San Francisco Chronicle whose great-grandfather founded the town of Newhall during the California gold rush, bought the Signal from Brooks.[12]

In 1978, Morris Multimedia, led by chairman Charles H. Morris, bought a controlling interest in the Signal.[13][14] In 1986, a $3 million headquarters was completed and named the "Scott Newhall Building."[15] In 1988, Newhall, his wife and son resigned from the paper.[16] In 1992, Newhall died.[17] In 2016, Morris sold the Signal to Paladin Multimedia Group, owned by Russell Briley, Charles F. Champion, Joseph Barletta.[18][19]

In 2018, Richard Budman, who had been the Signal's publisher under Morris from 2004 to 2007, and his wife Chris Budman, purchased the Signal.[20][21][22] At that time, the paper had a circulation of 8,000 and a newsroom with 24 reporters and editors.[23] Tim Whyte, who had worked with Budman as the Signal's general manager until 2007, returned as editor-in-chief. Whyte writes all the editorials for the daily. Following the sale, the Signal began to publish a new Sunday magazine with free distribution to 75,000 households, featuring a "bylined column" entitled "Black and Whyte" by Whyte.[24]

Controversy

According to an October 9, 2018 article in the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), the new management led to a conservative shift in the paper's editorial stance, which prompted a group of progressives in the Santa Clarita Valley to start their own news outlet, the Proclaimer.[24] According to a July 24, 2018 article in The Daily Beast, the Budmans have espoused conspiracy theories and promoted the Republican Party in the valley. Richard Budman defended himself against allegations that the couple's politics could influence the newspaper's editorial stance, stating that the newspaper ran positive stories on Katie Hill, then a Democratic congressional candidate.[25]

References

  1. "Departments & Staff". Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  2. Brown, Edward H. (February 7, 1919). "Announcement". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. p. 3.
  3. "Editor Of This Paper Passes". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. February 6, 1920. p. 1.
  4. "Card Of Thanks". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. February 13, 1920. p. 1.
  5. "Personal Mention and Local News of Interest". Inyo Independent and Owens Valley Progress Citizen. November 29, 1924. p. 1.
  6. "Masthead". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. January 1, 1925. p. 2.
  7. Thatcher, A.B.; Stonecypher, William T. (June 4, 1925). "Editorial". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. p. 2.
  8. "Signal Management Changed". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. August 27, 1925. p. 1.
  9. "Signal Sold". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. July 28, 1938. p. 1.
  10. "Ex-Publisher Dies at 69". Evansville Courier and Press. Evansville, Indiana. May 25, 1960. p. 2.
  11. "Newhall Signal sold to Sunland newspaper man". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. May 2, 1963. p. 1.
  12. "Scott Newhall Buys The Signal | S.F. Chronicle Editor Takes Over Nov. 1". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. October 31, 1963. p. 1.
  13. "New Partner At The Signal". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. January 25, 1978. p. 1.
  14. "Newhalls sell paper but will still live in mansion". Ventura County Star. March 26, 1978. p. 5.
  15. "Scott Newhall Honored | Signal Building Dedicated". The Signal. Santa Clarita, California. September 28, 1986. p. 62.
  16. Barker, Mayerene (August 10, 1988). "Scott Newhall and His Family Resign Posts at the Signal". The Los Angeles Times. p. 25.
  17. Saxon, Wolfgang (October 28, 1992). "Scott Newhall, 78, Newspaper Editor In San Francisco". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  18. Worden, Leon (December 16, 2015). "Briley, Partners Buying Signal Newspaper". SCVTV. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  19. Harbin, Heather (December 16, 2015). "Santa Clarita Valley Signal To Be Under New Ownership". KHTS Radio. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  20. Schaff, Jason (June 7, 2018). "The Signal sold to former publisher". The Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  21. Aushenker, Michael (June 8, 2018). "Santa Clarita Valley Signal Sold to Former Publisher". San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  22. "Former publisher buys The Signal". California News Publishers Association. June 12, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  23. Schonbrun, Zach (August 5, 2018). "When a Local Paper Gets New Owners, Partisan Strife Hits Its Doorstep". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  24. Darrach, Amanda (October 9, 2018). "Both Sides Now: When a California town's newspaper gets troubling new owners, critics start their own". Columbia Journalism Review (CJR). Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  25. Frazin, Rachel (July 24, 2018). "Santa Clarita Valley Signal's New Owners Boosted Far-Right Conspiracies". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 11, 2018.