Los Banos Enterprise

The Los Banos Enterprise is a newspaper that serves the city of Los Banos, California. The paper is printed bi-weekly and has a circulation of 16,000 copies.^[1] The paper had been owned by The McClatchy Company since 2003^[2] until the company sold it in 2022 to Michael Braa.^[3]

Los Banos Enterprise was founded in 1891 by P.H. Higgins.^[4][5] The paper was later owned by Carlos O. Freeman.^[6][7] In 1902, the paper was owned by Willard Beebe.^[8] In 1902, the paper advocated for Merced County to be split and for a new county to be formed.^[9]

In 1905, the Enterprise was merged with the Los Banos Advance, and the papers retained the name Los Banos Enterprise.^[10] Beebe died in 1905 from erisypelas.^[11] Bert A. Wilson became owner of the Enterprise at that time.^[12]

In 1915, Enterprise owner Bert A. Wilson became Post Master of Los Banos.^[13] Needing to commit attention to his new post, Wilson leased the Enterprise to M.P. Lewis, who had been a foreman in the mechanical department of the paper. W.S. Walker became editor of the paper at that time. Wilson later ran for the California Assembly.^[14][15] Wilson retained ownership of the paper until 1944, when he sold the paper to Frank Merrick, who had worked at the paper since 1928.^[12]

Frank Merrick was editor and publisher of the paper until 1963.^[16] William J. Brehm Sr. of Brehm Communications Inc. purchased the paper in 1962.^[17] In 1963, Joseph Knebel was named publisher. Knebel also published the Gustine Standard.^[18]

In 2003, McClatchy purchased the Enterprise, along with the Merced Sun-Star and four other non-dailies, from Pacific Sierra Publishing Company.^[19] On May 27, 2022 the newspaper announced it had been sold to Michael Braa.^[3]