{{Short description|American digital newspaper}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox newspaper | name = Half Moon Bay Review | image = | caption = | type = [[Digital newspaper]] | format = | founded = {{start date and age|1905}} | language = English | owners = Coastside News Group | circulation = | price = | founder = Harry E. Griffiths | publisher = Emma Spaeth | editor = Peter Tokofsky | website = {{URL|hmbreview.com}} }}
The '''''Half Moon Bay Review''''' is an American online news source that has been serving the Coastside area of [[San Mateo County, California]], from [[Pacifica, California|Pacifica]] to the [[Santa Cruz County, California|Santa Cruz County]] line since 1905. A [[broadsheet]] [[newspaper]] was published each Wednesday morning until 2024 when the publication switched to digital-only distribution.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Klein |first=Rich |date=2024-01-05 |title=We're going 100 percent digital |url=https://www.coastsidenews.com/news/were-going-100-percent-digital/article_ea56d94a-ea43-51d1-862c-f2e209c762b0.html |access-date=2025-09-26 |website=Coastside News |language=en}}</ref>''The Review'' is owned by Coastside News Group, Inc., a California Benefit Corporation created by a group of community members.<ref name="sfchronicle">{{Cite news |last1=Mascarenhas |first1=Natasha |date=5 June 2018 |title=Half Moon Bay Review bought by community members |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Half-Moon-Bay-Review-bought-by-community-members-12967001.php |access-date=September 25, 2025 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>
== History == In May 1905,<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 4, 1905 |title=Fresh And Newsy News. {{!}} Pungent Paragraphs Gleaned From Own Excellent Exchanges. |work=Los Gatos Mail |pages=5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 6, 1905 |title=Notice |work=Martinez News-Gazette |pages=5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 6, 1905 |title=Notice |work=Concord Transcript |pages=3}}</ref> Harry E. Griffiths, former editor of the ''Concord Transcript'', established the ''Half Moon Bay Review''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rice |first=Eric |date=May 6, 1998 |title=We're old news! {{!}} Review marks 100 years of publication |work=Half Moon Bay Review and Pescadero Pebble |pages=43}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Morrall |first=June |date=May 6, 1998 |title=Review not the Coastside's first paper |work=Half Moon Bay Review and Pescadero Pebble |pages=53}}</ref> Griffiths sold the paper around 1913 to R.A. Bergthhold,<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 9, 1913 |title=Former Newspaper Publisher Returns {{!}} Harry Griffiths Former Editor Of "Transcript" Sells Paper To Bergthold |work=Daily Gazette-Martinez |location=Martinez, California |pages=4}}</ref> who went on to own the ''Review'' for four and a half years.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 22, 1918 |title=A Splendid "Send-Off" |work=The Coast Side Comet |pages=8}}</ref> In 1917, George E. Dunn purchased the ''Review''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rice |first=Eric |date=May 6, 1998 |title=Dunns' story is story of the Review |work=Half Moon Bay Review and Pescadero Pebble |pages=43}}</ref> He previously operated the ''Coastside Comet,'' started the ''Pacifica Tribune,'' and later created the ''Pescadero Pebble'' which was eventually merged into ''the Review.'' In his prime, Dunn smoked 15 cigars a day. He was a civic leader who was one of the main forces behind construction of the Pillar Point breakwater and the Coast Highway and the incorporation of [[Half Moon Bay, California|Half Moon Bay]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 12, 1971 |title=Half Moon Bay publisher George Dunn dies at 90 |work=The Peninsula Times Tribune |location=Palo Alto, California |pages=3}}</ref>
In 1960, Dunn sold the paper to Edward M. Bauer.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 1, 1960 |title=Half Moon Bay Review Sold |work=The San Francisco Examiner |pages=12}}</ref> He and his wife, Marjorie Bauer, published the ''Review'' for 26 years until selling it in 1986 to [[Wick Communications]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 18, 1986 |title=Half Moon Bay Review Newspaper Purchased By Wick Communications Co. |work=Half Moon Bay Review and Pescadero Pebble}}</ref> Three decades later, the company announced plans to sell the newspaper in September 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hayden |first=Sara |date=22 November 2017 |title=Parent company seeks to sell HMB Review |url=https://www.hmbreview.com/news/parent-company-seeks-to-sell-hmb-review/article_86274dec-cfd7-11e7-8c8d-bf8788d411f7.html |access-date=May 25, 2024 |website=Half Moon Bay Review}}</ref> A group of community members, calling themselves the Coastside News Group, entered into an agreement to purchase the paper from Wick in February 2018,<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 February 2018 |title=Community group plans to buy Review |url=https://www.hmbreview.com/news/community-group-plans-to-buy-review/article_3d651ebc-1736-11e8-8375-5f57dfef752d.html |access-date=May 25, 2024 |website=Half Moon Bay Review}}</ref> and the sale was completed in June 2018.<ref name="sfchronicle" /> Coastside News Group purchased the ''Pacifica Tribune'' in October 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-10-08 |title=Coastside News Group buys Pacifica Tribune |url=https://www.coastsidenews.com/news/coastside-news-group-buys-pacifica-tribune/article_e6a0c3ac-3b5c-5536-9a8c-90184508c2d3.html |access-date=2025-09-26 |website=Coastside News |language=en}}</ref> The ''Review'' discontinued it's print edition and went online-only in 2024.<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.hmbreview.com/ Half Moon Bay Review] * [http://www.pacificatribune.com/ Pacifica Tribune]
[[Category:Half Moon Bay, California]] [[Category:Newspapers published in the San Francisco Bay Area]] [[Category:Wick Communications publications]] [[Category:Public benefit corporations based in California]] [[Category:Weekly newspapers published in California]] [[Category:Online newspapers with defunct print editions]] [[Category:Newspapers established in 1905]] [[Category:1905 establishments in California]] [[Category:Defunct weekly newspapers]]