Bob Rucker and Alex Zuniga Purchase Weekly
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Contact: Bob Rucker, 805-546-8208
San Luis Obispo, CA – As of August 2, 2006, New Times’ General Manager Bob Rucker and Art Director Alex Zuniga are officially majority co-owners of the SLO County’s weekly entertainment and news publication.
New Times’ local ownership became in question after the sudden passing of former owner and executive editor Steve Moss in April 2005. Through the challenge of the probate process and competing with others to the purchase the paper, Rucker and Zuniga jumped at the chance to have this opportunity to own New Times. “Steve, Alex and I talked about the future of the paper many times.” Rucker comments. “We know, somewhere, he’s pleased with the outcome.”
Rucker started with the New Times in April 1998, after coming from the Sonoma County Independent where he was a partner for four years. His career in publishing began 22 years ago when he started as a part-time bookkeeper with the Santa Barbara Independent. After seven years, he was named publisher, the first non-owner ever to be named publisher in the alternative publication industry nationwide. He was publisher for three years.
Zuniga started with the New Times just after midnight on August 13, 1986 as a graphic communications major at Cal Poly. Just six hours before going to press with the first issue of New Times, in Rucker’s words, “he cranked out the cover” and has created every cover since then – over 1,000 in total. “I was in my last quarter at Cal Poly, attending classes in the morning, working on campus between Noon and 5pm and then working at the paper from 6pm until midnight,” says Zuniga. “It’s hard to believe that Steve, Bev [Johnson] and I did it all when we started. Although we’ve come a long way since 1986, we still believe in being a paper that is necessary in our community.”
New Times has been San Luis Obispo County’s news and entertainment paper since 1986. With a circulation of 40,000 issues weekly, it is the largest locally owned paper in the region. For more information, visit www.newtimesslo.com or call 805-546-8208.
