The San Francisco Independent was the largest non-daily newspaper in the United States.[4] It helped to popularise the free newspaper (advertising supported) as a business model at the beginning of the 21st century, and also rescued one of the city's two major daily newspaper, the afternoon / evening San Francisco Examiner (founded 1863 CE, and purchased 1880 CE by U.S. Senator George Hearst, then passed on in 1887 CE to son and later longtime famous national newspaper syndicate titan William Randolph Hearst, senior, 1863–1951 CE, and flagship since 1880 of his subsequent national newspaper publishing syndicate). The efforts of the Fang Family through its purchase to keep it from being shut down a century and a half later by the descendent Hearst Communications media empire, after they bought the longtime morning competitor, the San Francisco Chronicle with its De Young family ownership in 2000 from the remaining family ownership members.
San Francisco Independent
