A media nonprofit is breathing new life into a 150-year-old Central Coast newspaper.
Santa Barbara’s hometown newspaper, the Santa Barbara News-Press, went dark in 2023, several years after its embattled publisher cut 45 jobs from the newsroom. When the paper closed, local investors Ben Romo and Jason Yardi purchased the outlet’s assets to preserve its historical archives.
This week, Romo and Yardi announced they donated the digital assets needed to relaunch the outlet to NEWSWELL, a nonprofit journalism project out of Arizona State University.
Romo said they chose NEWSWELL because of its journalism expertise and unique business model.
“They hire local staff, local reporters, local editors, and they will have a local advisory board to make sure that the media outlet is connected with the community and is well-informed by the community,” Romo said.
NEWSWELL is still deciding what form the Santa Barbara News-Press will take. A launch timeline hasn’t been announced, but according to Romo, it may be just a few months away.
