Death… Or Rebirth?
Community Forum on the Japanese American Press
Sunday, Dec. 6
1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California
1840 Sutter St., SF’s Japantown.
Published in the Nichi Bei Times Weekly Sept. 10-16, 2009
The End of This Nichi Bei Chapter
By KENJI G. TAGUMA
Nichi Bei Times
There I was, an inaka no ko or kid from the country, the son of a tomato farmer from the countryside of West Sacramento. A scant few days after turning 26, I was by far the youngest staff member, taking helm of the English section of what is perhaps the most storied community institution.
I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Before making the trek, I called Dr. Clifford Uyeda, a good friend of mine, to ask him about the Nichi Bei Times. “I don’t think anyone can do anything with that paper,” he warned.
Dear Readers,
It is with great sadness that we, the Board of Directors of Nichi Bei Times and its many shareholders, have decided to close the newspaper. The Nichi Bei Times will cease publication of its newspapers with the final edition on September 10, 2009.
This decision was not taken lightly. Many hours of consideration and discussion were involved in this decision. Since 1990 the Nichi Bei Times experienced a steady decline in circulation as well as declining advertising revenue. Over the recent years, alternative plans of action and ideas were considered to gain new subscriptions and advertisers. Community service has been the primary consideration of the Nichi Bei Times. We felt the traditional bilingual daily did not serve today’s Japanese American community.
