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The Beverly Hills Courier

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The Beverly Hills Courier
TypeFree weekly newspaper published Fridays
FormatCompact
Owner(s)BH Courier Acquisition LLC
PublisherJohn Bendheim & Lisa Bloch
FoundedJuly 22, 1965
Headquarters499 North Canon Drive
Suite 400
Beverly Hills, California 90210
 United States
ISSN0892-645X
Websitewww.bhcourier.com

The Beverly Hills Courier is a free weekly tabloid-sized print newspaper of circulation in Beverly Hills and the surrounding communities, and a daily web newspaper.

History

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The publication was founded by March Schwartz in 1965.[1] His staff included managing editor Arthur M. Goldberg from 1966 to 2003. Both individuals were products of the long-defunct evening companion newspaper to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Mirror, where Schwartz was the classified sales manager and Goldberg was the editor. In 2004, the Courier's then-editor, Norma Zager, was awarded Journalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club for her series on a lawsuit brought by Erin Brockovich.[2]

In 2004, after suffering a debilitating stroke, Schwartz reluctantly sold The Courier to The San Marino Tribune Company, Inc. whose owner, attorney Clifton S. Smith, Jr., assumed the role of publisher of the Courier.[3][4] Smith staffed the newspaper with former The Hollywood Reporter columnist George Christy[5] whose Courier column has appeared on foxnews.com.[6] Guest columnists included Joan Rivers. The late Rabbi Jacob Pressman also published a weekly column.[7] Courier articles have been cited by the Los Angeles Times.[8]

The Courier subscribes to Agence France-Presse and City News Service. Its website features updates throughout the day, seven days a week. The entire print edition is also available from the website. The paper is delivered free to residences each Friday. As of 2013, it self-reports a circulation of 40,000.[9]

Smith sold the Courier to entrepreneur Paula Kent Meehan, co-founder of the Redken hair-care company, in April 2014[10] – just two months before Meehan's death.[11] Associate publisher Marcia Wilson Hobbs replaced Smith as the publisher. BH Courier Acquisition, LLC acquired the "Courier" from the estate of Paula Kent Meehan in September, 2019.

Reception

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The Courier has been described as "conservative" by LA Weekly blogger Dennis Romero[12] in a city which is "heavily liberal and Democratic".[13]Josh E. Gross, publisher of the competing Beverly Hills Weekly, described Clifton S. Smith Jr., the Courier's then owner/publisher, as "right-wing" and "bombastic".[14] A 2013 Los Angeles Times article about the Courier noted that "Smith delivers his opinions on civic matters in the heavily Democratic city through tart editorials that lean libertarian."[9]

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has criticized the Courier for publishing errors and misleading statements with regards to the D Line Extension.[15][16] Damien Newton of LA streetsblog has accused the Courier of publishing libel with its coverage of seismology experts who weighed in on the geotechnical issues facing the subway extension.[17]

Two-time Beverly Hills mayor Barry Brucker accused the Courier of being biased in its coverage of the local city government and various development projects.[18] Then-Beverly Hills City Manager, Jeff Kolin, accused the Courier of printing false allegations with regard to an article alleging city staff had falsified documents concerning city water rates,[19] and has rebuked the paper for being misleading by confounding the city's 2012 budgetary surplus with unfunded pension liabilities.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ ‘Beverly Hills Courier’ Founder/Publisher March J. Schwartz Dead At 97, The Beverly Hills Courier, September 07, 2014
  2. ^ "2004 Southern California Journalism Award Winners". Los Angeles Press Club. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  3. ^ "San Marino Tribune Company Directory of Business Contacts". Salesforce's data.com. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  4. ^ "Clifton S. Smith". LexisNexis. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  5. ^ Weintraub, Bernard (28 May 2001). "Hollywood Paper Suspends Column by George Christy". New York Times. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  6. ^ "George Christy Archive". FOX News Network. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  7. ^ Danielle Berrin, Rabbi Jacob Pressman takes a bow, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, December 3, 2008
  8. ^ Horowitz, Joy (27 June 2007). "Schoolyard secrets". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  9. ^ a b Rainey, James; Martha Groves (6 August 2013). "Small paper in Beverly Hills has big voice". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  10. ^ Groves, Martha (April 18, 2014). "Philanthropist Paula Kent Meehan buys the Beverly Hills Courier". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  11. ^ Arévalo, Penny (23 June 2014). "OBIT: Paula Kent Meehan, Co-Founder of Redkin, Promoter of All Things Beverly Hills". Beverly Hills Patch. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  12. ^ Romero, Dennis (9 Jan 2012). "Ron Paul's Beverly Hills Street Art Removed". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  13. ^ Cole, Rudy (6 Nov 2006). "Rodeo Or The O.K. Corral?" (PDF). Beverly Hills Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  14. ^ Gross, Josh (21 Oct 2009). "Why the Meshkaty Scandal Won't Go Away" (PDF). Beverly Hills Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  15. ^ Hymon, Steve (3 November 2011). "Subway Facts & History: Metro responds to errors in Beverly Hills Courier and allegations by Beverly Hills school district". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  16. ^ Antolin, Daniel (8 May 2011). "Courier Allegedly Misreported Subway Extension". Canyon News. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  17. ^ Newton, Damien (18 November 2011). "Bev. Hills Courier's Big Scoop: Metro Does Mailings". StreetsBlog. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  18. ^ "Beverly Hills Mayor Accuses Courier Of "Scare and Panic" Tactics". Curbed Los Angeles. 29 October 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  19. ^ Kolin, Jeff (23 July 2012). "City Manager Writes Open Letter to 'Courier' Calling for Retraction". Patch. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  20. ^ Taglieri, Joe (18 February 2013). "City Pensions: Kolin Responds to Courier". Patch. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
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