Sunday Edition: Napa media landscape continues to change
By Dave Stoneberg
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — The local media landscape is changing. Gone are the days when a person put copies of the St. Helena Star, The Weekly Calistogan and the Napa Valley Register into newspaper racks, driving through town and in the case of the Register through the Napa Valley. They also collected the quarters from those newspaper racks, 50 cents each for the Star and Calistogan, and $1 for the daily Napa Valley Register, except for Sunday, when it was $1.50.
Later this month the Register will be published just three times a week — Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — and will no longer be delivered by people who start their shift in the middle of the night.
On Saturday, Tim Carl wrote a heart-wrenching story about one of those delivery people, John Tam, who has delivered the Napa Valley Register for the past 30 years. That delivery job has been Tam’s lifeline. Without it he could lose his house, bought last year with a VA loan. He was given a scant 30 days’ notice that his job was ending.
In other stories on our website, napavalleyfeatures.com, last week, Bonnie Graves explored the Los Angeles wine market during “The Stars of Napa Valley Wine” trade tasting, hosted by Ian Blackburn and in conjunction with the Napa Valley Vintners. Another new voice for us is Virginie Boone, who wrote about the privilege of covering the local wine scene. She has been writing about Napa Valley people and wines for years, and her most recent project was starting The New Wine Review. One of the publication’s stories is “What they’re drinking in St. Helena.”
Tim Carl, Sasha Paulsen and I attended the Saturday, June 24, WineaPAWlooza event, which was a fundraiser for Jameson Humane. It did, too, raising $1.5 million for the animal sanctuary and the veterinary care it provides for domestic animals.
Next week Paulsen will write about the upcoming 40th annual Home Winemakers Classic, which will be held Sunday, July 16, at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa in Napa. It raises funds for the Mount Veeder Fire Safe Council. Photographer Tim Carl will spend Tuesday, the Fourth of July, in Calistoga, taking photos of the parade and what organizers are calling a “Star Spangled Celebration” to be held at Pioneer Park. Fireworks will be held at dusk in American Canyon, Napa and St. Helena. My story (published later today) will tell all about the Napa Valley’s Fourth of July celebrations.
Also next week, Eduardo Dingler will end his three-part series comparing wine and sake and will explain terms you may wish to know, while on Friday, Paul Franson will give you his picks for weekend fun. Another new voice for Napa Valley Features, Diane De Filipi reviews Savor After Hours, a summer cabaret in the JaM Cellars Ballroom.
Eight weeks since the Napa Valley Features began we have more than 1,000 subscribers from all over the Napa Valley and beyond. We appreciate our subscribers, including Tom Conlin, who told me at WineaPAWlooza that he was one of the first subscribers to our venture. This morning a buddy of mine, Sue Cottrell from St. Helena, asked about my new writing gig. I sent her the web address, napavalleyfeatures.com, and she subscribed. Thanks, Tom and Sue, we appreciate you both, one of the first and the 1,048th subscriber.
Come join us and enjoy Napa Valley stories that you can’t find anywhere else. You will be most welcome.
Dave Stoneberg is a journalist who worked for the St. Helena Star from 2006 to 2020.
Thank you, Dave! I know the community will continue to rally around our local writers and reporters!