Valley News and Green Sheet, 1911-1974

The phenomenon of the growth of Southern California's San Fernando Valley has been reflected for sixty-four years in the area's largest local newspaper, the Valley News and Green Sheet. The News is circulated in an area of over 320 square miles, to more than 280,000 households, going from a weekly in 1911, to its present four-times-a-week publication schedule. This thesis includes a brief history of the San Fernando Valley, along with a history of the paper, to illustrate how the two grew together, each contributing to the development of the other. Interviews with individuals involved in the paper's history and present status revealed that they believe the paper's emphasis on local news is one principal factor in its success. Another factor is the large volume of classified advertising, the second largest west of the Mississippi, and fifth largest in the United States. A tabulation of the number of local versus outside the- Valley stories showed that the paper has devoted most of its space (76 percent) to local news over the past sixty-four years, allowing it to maintain a hometown flavor. This thesis, on the basis of the evidence gathered, concludes that the News contributed substantially to the growth of the San Fernando Valley, and has retained a prominent position in that community by offering a mirror on the lifestyle and values of Valley residents, while offering them, at the same time, a marketplace for their goods and services.