Skip to content
Help support CapRadio’s local public service mission 
and enrich the lives in your community.
Support local nonprofit public media.
Donate Now

View thank you gift options

CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Business
  •  

Sacramento News & Review Building Will Become A Library In North Sacramento

  •  Sarah Mizes-Tan 
Friday, July 30, 2021 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Courtesy Rod Malloy

The Sacramento News & Review's 19,000 square foot space on Del Paso Boulevard will soon become a library and community hub for the North Sacramento community.

Courtesy Rod Malloy

Sacramento’s long-standing alt-weekly newspaper, the Sacramento News & Review, has sold its office after more than a decade in North Sacramento. But the building won't remain vacant for long.

The LEED-certified building at 1124 Del Paso Boulevard was sold to the city of Sacramento for $3 million this week, and is now set to become the new site of the Hagginwood Library. 

The Sacramento News & Review had occupied this building since its move from its Midtown offices in 2009. During the pandemic, the paper stopped printing due to a drop in advertising revenue. It resumed briefly in the fall, but stopped again at the end of last year. 

Owner Jeff Von Kaenel has said he hopes selling the building will keep the publication viable with a digital-focused model. 

“The ability for us to do more online and get more reporting is made a lot easier [by] not maintaining the cost of a 19,000 square foot building,” Von Kaenel said. “Selling the building actually makes the newsroom feel more viable.”

The paper's staff has been working remotely since last March, and Von Kaenel said he wasn’t concerned that the lack of a building would impact the reporting that they do in the community. 

“We’ve been working remotely successfully, and in fact certain people have relocated in a way that they don’t want to come into the office everyday, so we’re adjusting to that new reality, and this gives them more flexibility,” he said. 

For former staffers, the selling of the building is bittersweet. Rosemarie Messina worked in advertising sales with the News & Review for 25 years and was with the paper when it moved from their offices in Midtown in 2009. 

“That building was so instrumental for us in moving out of Midtown back when we did and finding that wonderful home on Del Paso Boulevard,” Messina said. “We used to call it our green building on a dime because we did really cool things there that were state of the art at the time. We had blue jean insulation, we had the recycled glass countertops. It was a beautiful building. Everyone felt at home there.” 

Smaller media outlets across the country have suffered as a result of the pandemic. A recent report from the Pew Research Center shows that job losses from newspapers accelerated during the pandemic, with  24% of large newspapers experiencing layoffs in 2019, and 33% in 2020. 

For alt-weeklies the statistics were even more dire. 

“We did see a number of alt-weeklies being sold to major legacy news organizations if they didn’t close altogether,” said Elisa Shearer, a researcher at the Pew Research Center. 

She added that local news has become less local since the 2008 recession. She said the pandemic further worsened this impact, but she also added that the Research Center was seeing a greater shift towards digital media. 

Von Kaenel has said that SN&R will continue to publish online and that he doesn’t believe not having a building or news boxes will impact their ability to cover the community accurately. The paper will be seeking a smaller space eventually, though he didn’t specify when.

For the city of Sacramento, the ability to expand the Hagginwood Library was an exciting prospect. 

“It is large enough for us to truly create a community hub for North Sacramento, a traditionally underserved area,” said Sacramento Public Library Director Rivkah Sass. “We have two very small facilities and the current library is very inadequate, it’s only 4,000 square feet. During COVID we haven’t been able to let anyone in.” 

She said she’s looking forward to taking over a larger building which will allow them to create a maker’s space, a community room, hold workforce development programs and partner with community members more often. 

“It’s really perfect in so many ways,” she said. 

Von Kaenel says he couldn’t think of a better use for the paper’s old building. 

“To have the legacy of this building that we put so much love into become a library just means so much to us. And the thought that young kids will be coming here, and have our building be a community library and be a great meeting place, it’s a great legacy for the building,” he said. 

City Council approved the sale of the building July 27. The library will officially take over the building and begin renovations in September.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

Sarah Mizes-Tan

Race and Equity Reporter

As CapRadio’s Race and Equity reporter, I focus on reporting on these particular groups of people who make up much of the fabric of Sacramento and how they are affected by policy changes at the city level.  Read Full Bio 

 @sarah_mizes_tan Email Sarah Mizes-Tan

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

Sacramento guaranteed income program opens applications for second round of participants

California could be the first state in the country to ban some much debated food additives

Wildfire victims left ‘in the dark’ after U.S. Forest Service briefs Congress about the Caldor Fire

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Rain, snow and wind are returning to Northern California. In Sacramento, impacts expected to be milder than recent storms

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

Sacramento guaranteed income program opens applications for second round of participants

California could be the first state in the country to ban some much debated food additives

Wildfire victims left ‘in the dark’ after U.S. Forest Service briefs Congress about the Caldor Fire

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Rain, snow and wind are returning to Northern California. In Sacramento, impacts expected to be milder than recent storms

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a Tip / Story Idea
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.