New Southern California Media Network offers advertisers 1.7 million engaged readers

SoCal Media Network (www.socalmedianetwork.com), a newly formed alliance of independent community media news organizations, launched this week offering advertisers an opportunity to reach more than 1.7 million engaged readers of community newspapers, websites and social media channels. The network is comprised of five different independent publishers with 19 standalone publications, websites and social media platforms located in coastal South Orange County, North San Diego County, wine country Temecula/Fallbook and the greater San Diego area.

The independent publishing groups in the SoCal Media Network are: Firebrand Media, Picket Fence Media, Reeder Media, Coast News Group and San Diego Community News Group.

• Orange County: Newport Beach Independent, Laguna Beach Independent, Coastal Real Estate, San Clemente Times, Dana Point Times, The Capistrano Dispatch
• North San Diego County: The Coast News, The Inland Edition
• Riverside County: Valley News (Temecula)
• San Diego County: Village News (Fallbrook), La Jolla Village News, Beach & Bay Press, The Peninsula Beacon, Uptown News, Downtown News, Mission Times Courier, Mission Valley News, La Mesa Courier, College Times Courier

“As established, trusted, independent hyper-local media business operators, we know that audience engagement driven by original, unbiased news reporting coupled with scale across multiple platforms yields results for advertisers,” said SoCal Media Network’s Norb Garrett, who is the CEO and publisher of Picket Fence Media based in Capistrano Beach. “By creating this new network, we can offer local, regional and national advertisers a simple, one-stop, cost-effective way to reach these highly desirable audiences through our award-winning media brands across print, digital, social and video.”

Advertisers can place advertising network wide directly through any of the five member organization’s sales staffs — which can be reached through the website (www.socalmedianetwork.com).

Additionally, the group announced the launch of “Explore SoCal,” a staycation guide (print and online) to Southern California featuring original content and distributed through all of the network’s 19 platforms including 350,000 print copies direct to current readers, newsracks and an expanded bonus distribution to key hotel operators in the markets.

“I’m thrilled to align my brands with the other award-winning media brands in this new network,” said Julie Main, owner and publisher of San Diego Community News Group, which operates nine brands in the greater San Diego area, including La Jolla, Mission Bay, Downtown San Diego and La Mesa. “Many of my advertisers have sought effective ways to reach other key marketing areas in Southern California, and our new network now provides the very best media platforms through which to reach key audiences.”