State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, honored The Signal and Publisher Richard Budman on the Senate floor Wednesday, in honor of the newspaper’s 100th anniversary.
“Not only is The Signal known in my district for outstanding reporting, but the organization is renowned in the community for its involvement and generosity,” Wilk said in a statement. “Richard and Chris Budman have a strong commitment to the people and community — it shows every day in how the news is reported, and it shows in their support of local nonprofits, schools or other entities in our area.”
Budman expressed his gratitude for the recognition in a conversation with Wilk after the presentation.
“Thank you Sen. Wilk, thank you for recognizing The Signal,” Budman said. “The Signal is very proud to be a community newspaper for the last century. (There’s) a lot of dedicated, hard-workers that put a lot of effort into it, and we look forward to covering all the events, people, places that make Santa Clarita great, for the next 100 years.”
From the Senate floor, Wilk praised The Signal as “the No. 1 news source for the Santa Clarita Valley,” and noted a 10 percent increase in circulation, which represents a reversal of a nearly industry-wide trend in print publications.
The Signal recently celebrated its 100th birthday with a series of tabs and special publications, and will continue to recognize its history as the area’s leading news source.
On Feb. 7, 1919, the Newhall Signal became the weekly hometown newspaper for a community of just 500 people with a circulation of 250 papers. From this humble beginning, the newspaper grew to become an integral part of the community and now serves over 300,000 in print and online, with over 70,000 households receiving a print copy of the Sunday edition.
Wilk also mentioned several accolades from The Signal’s recent past in a news release after his presentation to Budman.
In 2006, the National Newspaper Association of America named The Signal the “Best Paper for General Excellence” for newspapers with a circulation of 50,000 or less; and in 2018, The Signal was named the No. 1 news source for local information in a poll conducted by the city of Santa Clarita.
“My wife, Vanessa, and I argue over who gets the paper first every morning,” Wilk said. “I imagine that is something that has been occurring in kitchens in the SCV for the last 100 years.”
