Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

13 hours ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

13 hours ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

14 hours ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

15 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

2 days ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

2 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

2 days ago
Pandemic Losses Force Fresno Bee Out of Bitwise Building
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 5 years ago on
August 28, 2020

Share

Seven months after announcing its move into Bitwise’s historic downtown building with great fanfare, The Fresno Bee is vacating the premises.

“Since mid-March, almost the entire staff of The Bee has worked remotely. And we haven’t missed a beat, providing critical news and information to what has become the largest audience in our history.” — Fresno Bee Publisher Tim Ritchey

The Bee’s publisher, Tim Ritchey, announced the decision Friday. He cited the impact of the coronavirus on the newspaper’s finances as a reason for the exit.

“For now, this change will help ensure a sustainable future for The Fresno Bee,” Ritchey said in a story published on the newspaper’s website.

“Since mid-March, almost the entire staff of The Bee has worked remotely. And we haven’t missed a beat, providing critical news and information to what has become the largest audience in our history.”

Bee Staff Will Work Remotely Through 2020

The publisher said that Bee employees will continue to work remotely through the end of 2020. At that time, Ritchey said, “We will find new office space when it is safe to return to in-person work.”

The Bee continues to operate as a McClatchy Company newspaper under protections provided by Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A McClatchy spokesperson said that the chain has exited leases in other markets, including Modesto and San Luis Obispo, under Chapter 11’s protections.

Bitwise: Every Business Impacted by Pandemic

Irma Olguin Jr., CEO and co-founder of Bitwise Industries, gave GV Wire℠ this statement:

“We are sad to see The Fresno Bee leave but so proud to be part of their story. Local journalism is critical for every community, especially now when politics, public health, and social injustice are directly impacting our lives. Every business, including ours, is currently facing one impossible decision after another. Our ability to empathize and have grace during this time is a leading indicator of what kind of recovery we, as a people, are signing up for.”

The Bee relocated its news, editorial, and advertising operations into Bitwise’s building at Ventura and R streets in February after more than 40 years at 1626 E. Street, next door to ABC30.

From 1922 until 1975, the newspaper occupied its own five-story building at Van Ness and Calaveras Street. The historic building is now home to the Community Media Access Collaborative.

Bee’s New Owners Won Bankruptcy Auction

A bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of McClatchy, a 30-outlet chain run by the Sacramento-based McClatchy family since 1857.

Following more than a decade of financial losses and employee cutbacks, McClatchy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February. Chatham Asset Management, a New Jersey-based hedge fund, won an auction for McClatchy with a bid of $312 million.

However, that bid included $262 million that McClatchy owed the hedge fund. Thus Chatham only had to expend $49 million to buy the chain.

It is anticipated that Chatham will take over the company on Friday, Sept. 4, a McClatchy spokesperson said.

Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected to note that Chatham Asset Management hasn’t assumed ownership of McClatchy. The original story erroneously reported that Chatham became the owner on Aug. 4.  

 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

DON'T MISS

PBS Has a Future by Leaving the Past Behind: Opinion

DON'T MISS

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

DON'T MISS

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

DON'T MISS

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

DON'T MISS

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

DON'T MISS

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

DON'T MISS

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

DON'T MISS

Gaza Running out of Specialized Food to Save Malnourished Children

DON'T MISS

New Madera Bypass Project Aims to Ease Traffic on Highway 41 Near Tesoro Viejo

UP NEXT

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

UP NEXT

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

UP NEXT

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

UP NEXT

New Madera Bypass Project Aims to Ease Traffic on Highway 41 Near Tesoro Viejo

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Felon in Connection With Drive-by Shooting

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Julian Jay Haymon

UP NEXT

Tater Is One Hot Potato When It Comes to Adoptable Kittens

UP NEXT

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

UP NEXT

Hoover High Coach Arrested on Child Porn Charges, Released on Bail

UP NEXT

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

9 hours ago

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

10 hours ago

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

10 hours ago

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

11 hours ago

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

11 hours ago

Gaza Running out of Specialized Food to Save Malnourished Children

12 hours ago

New Madera Bypass Project Aims to Ease Traffic on Highway 41 Near Tesoro Viejo

12 hours ago

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

13 hours ago

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

13 hours ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

13 hours ago

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

A Tulare police officer was injured in a traffic collision Friday while responding to a medical emergency involving an unresponsive infant, ...

8 hours ago

8 hours ago

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

Signs supporting NPR outside its headquarters in Washington on March 26, 2025. The Trump administration has accused NPR and PBS of using public funds to produce biased coverage and “left-wing propaganda.” (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
8 hours ago

PBS Has a Future by Leaving the Past Behind: Opinion

AJ Rassamni and Miguel Arias blackstone
9 hours ago

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

Fresno first responders spent over two hours safely rescuing a person in crisis from the edge of a downtown parking garage Friday, July 25, 2025,morning. (Fresno FD)
9 hours ago

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

United States Department of Education logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (Reuters File)
10 hours ago

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

President Donald Trump speaks to the media, after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the power of federal judges by restricting their ability to grant broad legal relief in cases as the justices acted in a legal fight over President Donald Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
10 hours ago

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

Students head to the buses at the end of the day at a high school in Cedar Hill, Mo., on Sept. 14, 2022. The White House will release $5.5 billion in frozen education funds, administration officials announced on Friday, July 25, bringing an end to a chaotic saga of the administration’s making, which had sent school districts scrambling with weeks to go before the school year. (Whitney Curtis/The New York Times)
11 hours ago

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

Kern County fire officials have issued evacuation warnings for two zones near Lake Isabella as the Pearl Fire threatens the area. (Kern County FD)
11 hours ago

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend