Game Changers: Ownership of local newspapers back in Sonoma County

The hometown newspaper may not have big corporate muscle behind it any longer, but it has something much, much better: Local owners who have plans to enhance its services and coverage area, and who vow to keep publishing the daily newspaper in paper form.

Sonoma County's Press Democrat newspaper, and its sister papers the Petaluma Argus-Courier and the North Bay Business Journal, were purchased late last year by a new local investors group, Sonoma Media Investments, after being owned by East Coast companies for nearly 30 years.

Read my interview with two of the members of the new ownership group –– Steve Falk (pictured left) and Darius Anderson –– in the special "Game Changers" issue of NorthBay biz magazine: http://tinyurl.com/q3474v5

What exactly is "agritourism"?

This buzzword has been around a long time, and can mean all sorts of things. But mostly it refers to cityfolk and their children getting out into the country to learn a thing or two about agriculture –– how artisan vegetables are grown, for instance, and the way farm-fresh eggs taste so much better than store-bought. They can also watch dairy cows and goats being milked, cuddle with friendly barnyard horses, and sample farmstead cheeses at the source, among other fun adventures.

My latest article for North Bay biz magazine explores the booming business of agritourism in Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties: http://tinyurl.com/m7lsjno