Read all about it – and a whole lot of other things, too

by Jorge Barrientos

Numerous print periodicals of all shapes and sizes in Chico provides plenty of reading material.

      Ø   University life

      Ø   Entertaining Chico

      Ø   Chico hard news

      Ø   The great Chico outdoors

      Ø   Miscellaneous Chico

A much-discussed trend in journalism has been the decline of print media competition within communities, with many left with only one daily newspaper to inform readers of happenings and form connections to their communities.

Chico certainly is an exception to this trend, with a plethora of editorial offerings for readers and writers alike. This mix includes Chico State’s award-winning newspaper, a daily newspaper owned by MediaNews Group and several alternative and entertainment publications.

"There are a large number of choices to fill many people's interests and to give people voices," said Devanie Angel, associate editor for the Chico News & Review, a weekly alternative newspaper.

And the more there are in Chico, the better, she said.

Here are some publications that bring that special something to the Chico community:

University Life

The Orion – The Orion is Chico State’s weekly student-run newspaper. Started in 1975, The Orion has been recognized nationally as a top college newspaper by multiple newspaper organizations.

The Orion covers everything university related and is a place where students can express how they’re feeling about the university and community, said Becky Regan, managing editor of The Orion.

“It’s the voice for the students,” she said.

The Orion provides community coverage from a student perspective.

“It bridges the students to the community,” she said. “And in terms of giving back to the community, it teaches future Chico journalists.”

Many Orion writers have become writers for other Chico publications, she said.

In fall 2005, The Orion has received the following standout awards among others:

·      The Pacemaker Award, given to papers who set the pace for college journalism (nine time winner, 23 time finalist);

·      Inducted into the American Collegiate Press Hall of Fame.

·      Winner of the American Collegiate Press Best In Show award (winner for the second consecutive year), making The Orion the best college newspaper in the country.                

Wildcat Illustrated – Chico State's athletic department publishes Wildcat Illustrated every August, November and February.

The publication has interviews from Chico State athletic alumni, profiles Chico State athletes and highlights other articles relevant to the sports of the season. 

Kaleidoscope – Chico Performances is in its 24th season of providing performances by touring artists in music, dance, theatre and spoken word. The Kaleidoscope is a yearly guide to art events at Chico State offered by Chico Performances.

Entertaining Chico 

After Five – After Five is a free news, arts and entertainment monthly publication serving the north state and Southern Oregon. Founded in 1986, the publication concentrates mostly on arts and entertainment, and promotes upcoming events in the target area, publisher Craig Harrington said.

The coverage area is what makes After Five important, Harrington said. The publication recognizes that people want to go to other places for other options in entertainment.

“If somebody wants to go outside the Chico market, we’re probably one of the few markets you can turn to,” Harrington said. The publication covers south to Sacramento and north to Medford, Oregon.

After Five was started when the previous publisher noticed nobody else was covering the various events from the North State. Now, the publication is in its 29th year and serving everyone from college students to senior citizens, Harrington said.

Synthesis –  Synthesis is a free alternative weekly publication that focuses mostly on music. The publication provides information on local music with calendars for events, fund-raisers, and performances, said Karen Potter, publisher and editor-in-chief of Synthesis.

The publication features articles and reviews from local writers.

“We like our writers to write how they feel. But we try not to offend people,” Potter said.

But the main focus is informing the public on the various music Chico offers.

“Music’s definitely the main pull,” Potter said. “Music is our passion.”

The target audience for Synthesis is the college-aged group, but because Synthesis is a music magazine, the publication reaches all audiences.

“I think anyone interested in music picks it up and it doesn’t matter what age,” Potter said.

Synthesis went national in 2005. The national version (which also reaches parts of Canada) is a bimonthly glossy magazine that publishes interview with “big bands” among other music articles. The idea behind the national magazine is like an iPod, Potter said.

“Everyone nowadays listens to a little of everything, so we cover some type of music everyone will enjoy,” she said.

The national version, published in Chico along with the local version, is available at bookstores nationwide and costs $4.95.

Additionally, the Synthesis Web site has grown to become one of the most popular independent entertainment Web sites in North America, getting traffic from all over the world.

“We’ve definitely grown a lot,” Potter said.

Chico Hard News

Chico Enterprise-Record – Chico’s daily newspaper, The Chico Enterprise-Record, has a circulation of 33,600 and serves all areas of Butte and Glenn counties.

The Enterprise Record prints more pages and has a larger staff than any other publication in Chico, said David Little, news editor for the Enterprise-Record.

Additionally, the Enterprise-Record has an older, better educated, wealthier and more established audience than other Chico publications. But everyone reads it, Little said, and more importantly, the Enterprise-Record keeps the community informed.

“A lot of what we write about sets the tone of what community talks about,” Little said.

Little said the Enterprise-Record gets news stories first and has more in-depth news coverage. When local radio stations read the news, they’re essentially reading the Enterprise Record’s front page, he said. And the paper “breaks” more stories than other publications.

Essentially, the Enterprise Record is for the Chico community, Little said.

“Our mission is to keep the community informed and give people the information they need to be active citizens in the democracy.”

Chico News & Review – Chico News & Review is an alternative news weekly, as opposed to the mainstream corporate owned business, said Devanie Angel, associate editor for CN&R.

The magazine-style newspaper is the only alternative newspaper to out-circulate a city daily newspaper, Angel said.

“Our stories are more interesting and better written,” Angel said.

According to the News & Review's Web site, the paper has been providing informative and enlightened coverage of grassroots issues for more than 20 years.  The free weekly has won numerous awards from the California Newspaper Association. It is one of three publications owned by Jeff vonKaenel (the others are Sacramento News & Review and Reno News & Review) and has the distinction of starting out as the off-campus version of Chico State’s old student newspaper, The Wildcat, in 1977.

CN&R has covered issues such as political corruption, women’s issues, religion and much more. 

The annual “best of” issue brings readers the top choices in everything Chico offers.

The Web site states that whether it’s arts and entertainment coverage, or controversial community reporting, the News & Review is a vital source of information for Chico.

The Great Chico Outdoors

Yahi Group – The Yahi Group is a quarterly newsletter published by the Sierra Club, a grassroots environmental organization, said Grace Marvin, chair of the Yahi Group.

The Yahi Group newsletter publishes informational articles on local, state, and national environmental concerns, along with a list of outings and meetings. Additionally, the newsletter prints people’s reflections of nature, Marvin said. 

“We print more reflective articles, not just reporting,” Marvin said.

The Sierra Club works on the conservation and enjoyment of wilderness and the natural world, and is operated entirely by volunteers, according to the organization's Web site.

The club is the largest and oldest grassroots organization in the nation. The newsletter is targeted toward all people within Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Plumas and Tehama counties. The newsletter staff is always finding ways for everyone to be involved. 

“It’s a way for people to be in contact with the organization and be in contact with the local chapter.”

Essentially, the publications purpose is to inform the public about the activities they can do outdoors, Marvin said. 

Environmental News – Environmental News is a free quarterly publication that covers environmental issues of Butte County, said Barbara Vlamis, executive director of the Butte Environmental Council.

The council is a non-profit corporation founded in 1975 and focuses on environmental education and advocacy. It has published Environmental News for about a decade.

Environmental News is different from other publications in Chico because it is unique, Vlamis said. The publication mainly prints stories on environmental issues and occasionally prints in-depth stories.

“We give a different perspective on the environment,” Vlamis said. 

Members of the council write for the publication. Writers may also be affiliated with other organizations or write about an area of expertise relevant to the environment, Vlamis said.

Vlamis said Environmental News is important to all of Butte County.

“There is a large population in Butte County that cares about the environment,” Vlamis said. 

The council prints the publication for the general public and tries to educate the public about issues and opportunities regarding the environment, Vlamis said.

“We try to educate readers on stuff they wouldn’t normally get in the traditional media,” she said.

Miscellaneous Chico

Lotus Guide: The Holistic & Cultural Voice – Like the magazine states on the front page, the Lotus Guide is a holistic guide and a cultural voice.

 “We bring people together in the communities that have a non-traditional ways of looking at life, and give them a common voice,” said Rahasya Poe, publisher, editor and writer for the Lotus Guide.

Starting out as a class project at Chico State, The Lotus Guide has expanded into a 10,000 per issue circulation free newsletter.

The Lotus Guide stands among other publications in Chico, Poe said, because it is totally different from anything in the community and, therefore, has no competition.

The Guide is distributed all around Chico and surrounding areas including Sacramento, Nevada City, Grass Valley, Redding, Red Bluff and Oroville.

Half of the articles the Lotus Guide publishes are from local writers, Poe said. The other half come from world-renowned people in the alternative community.

The Guide only prints uplifting articles, Poe said, and no political issues are addressed.

“We try to stay positive, especially in this day in age.” 

The Lotus Guide brings to its readers the best and latest information from the scientific and spiritual pioneers, Poe said, breaking through the cultural norm.

 “If you don’t push against tradition you don’t evolve,” Poe said. “Otherwise, we would all be living on a flat planet.”

ART: arts and culture guide –  Art… It’s In Our Nature is an arts and culture guide for Chico funded in part by the city of Chico.

Visitor Guide – Presented by Chico News & Review and Chico Chamber of Commerce, the Visitor Guide covers everything Chico: shopping, facts, education, lodging, activities, entertainment, restaurants and much more.

Movie fans throughout the country are waiting for the DVD to be released rather than watching on the big screen, but in Chico,  moviegoers are waiting in long lines.Visitor Guide is free and is published twice a year, fall and winter.

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