The News & Review is a group of free alternative weekly newspapers published by Chico Community Publishing, Inc. of Chico, California. The company publishes the Chico News & Review in Chico, California, the Sacramento News & Review in Sacramento, California, and, through Jan. 30, 2022, the Reno News & Review in Reno, Nevada. On January 31, 2022, the Reno News & Review was sold to Coachella Valley Independent LLC.
The chain started out as an on-campus newspaper for California State University, Chico called The Wildcat, but after a dispute with the administration, the newspaper moved off campus to become an independent publication.
Print publication of the newspapers was temporarily suspended after publisher Jeff vonKaenel told employees on March 16, 2020, that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a drastic downturn in advertising revenue that had already been in decline. Although a digital presence was maintained on the three newspapers' websites, much of the staff was laid off with the publication of editions dated March 19, 2020.
However, beginning in July 2020, the Sacramento News & Review and Chico News & Review returned to newsstands with monthly issues. The Sacramento News & Review was forced to suspend print publication once again in January 2021. The Chico News & Review is still printing monthly issues, and the Sacramento News & Review remains online-only. The Reno News & Review resumed print publication as a monthly starting with the June 2022 issue.
Chico News & Review
The Chico News & Review (CN&R) is the first of the three News & Review papers,
founded in 1977. The Chico News & Review is noted as one of the few alternative papers to out-circulate its local daily paper, the Chico Enterprise-Record, with a cumulative readership of over 100,000, according to the Circulation Verification Council's 2015 report. The founding editor was Robert Speer, and the current editor is Jason Cassidy.
In 2016, a partnership with the North Valley Community Foundation, and matching small community donations helped support investigative journalism in Butte County, California. After the decline of advertising support in March 2020, community members began supporting the paper through contributions made on their website.
The CN&R's most well-known annual issues are: Best of Chico, annual issue with the results of a readers' poll and editors' choices of the best places, people and things in Chico Keep Chico Weird, annual issue coinciding with the Keep Chico Weird event Goin' Chico, annual student guide to welcome new California State University, Chico students to the area Cammies (Chico Area Music Awards), annual issue profiling the readers' and critics' choice for best bands and musicians
Events
In 2005, the Chico News & Review started the Chico Area Music Celebration (CAMMIES) to honor the vibrant, eclectic music scene in Butte County, California. Winners are selected by CN&R readers in a list of musical genres, including Singer-songwriter, Hard rock/Metal, Blues, Jam/R&B/Funk, Rap, Punk/Ska and others. Critics vote for winners in more specific areas, e.g. Best Male/Female vocalist, Best Guitarist, Best Drummer, Best Local CD, Local Badass, etc.
Keep Chico Weird is an annual event to honor the weird of Chico and Butte County, who help foster an environment of tolerance and creativity. CN&R produces a Keep Chico Weird Art Show and a Keep Chico Weird Talent Show, that highlights a wide range of artists and art, including sword swallowers, mimes, spelling-bee champs, organ grinders, etc.
Chico Beer Week is another annual event celebrating craft beer in Chico and is coordinated with local breweries, bars, restaurants and retailers responsible for the area's local craft-beer scene.
The continuation of these annual events is unclear due to the limitations the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on the paper.