Mariposa Gazette
Mariposa, CA
The community is at the heart of everything they do at the Mariposa Gazette. “Our philosophy is if we don’t support community, why should they support the paper,” said Greg Little, editor and co-owner of the Gazette. California’s oldest weekly newspaper has been continuously publishing since 1854 and covers their entire county (plus), which includes about 75% of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra foothills. Greg and his wife, Nicole W. Little, purchased the Mariposa Gazette four years ago and haven’t stopped growing, expanding this last year to include a new region to their east — eastern Madera County. Eastern Madera County had all but lost their coverage when their corporate-owned newspaper went down to four pages and stopped covering local news. So the Mariposa Gazette added a writer and now dedicates four to six pages weekly to the new area. “We truly believe we have salvaged, in part at least, a news desert,” stated Little.
Even without the expansion, their print circulation is up 15%. In addition, their advertising revenues are up even though they have lost two special publications during the pandemic — a fair book and a visitor’s guide. When asked about their offerings, Little said, “We do have a website and a presence on social media and continue to grow that audience.… But the importance of our print product cannot be overstated.” They are excited to publish their annual visitor’s guide after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID shutdowns. The guide, an advertiser favorite, serves the approximately five million yearly visitors to Yosemite and their county.
Back-to-basics content efforts kept them focused during the last two years when the pandemic required innovation. Their content focuses on local news, sports, education, business spotlights and a robust editorial section. They highlight editorial because they believe that “everyone should be able to have a voice.” Giving a voice to local students is the impetus behind the very popular annual writing contest, which includes cash prizes provided by the Mariposa Gazette.
The folks at the Mariposa Gazette were instrumental in getting a veteran’s memorial constructed at their county courthouse — donating all the advertising and promotion over the two years it took to fund and erect the monument. They have also added a Veteran’s Spotlight to their publication, to high praise.
The Littles encourage their employees to join community groups and pay their membership fees to help their employees be a part of the community. They also sponsor and host community endeavors such as political debates for local and congressional races, local sports team sponsorships, various promotional contests and even a float in parades. A special tabloid publication highlighting local graduating seniors was born during 2020 when “typical” graduations couldn’t be held. It’s now become part of their annual offerings — and another way to serve their local community.
Greg was effusive about his newspaper staff, but especially his wife, publisher and co-owner, Nicole, “Our publisher, Nicole W. Little, understands how valuable this newspaper is to the community and how much of an institution it is in Mariposa County. Without her direction — and risktaking — none of this would have been possible. It is absolutely a team effort here, but any good team has to have an effective leader. That is without a doubt in our case.”