How it all began

By Ana Tintocalis, On Line Forty-Niner

Wednesday, November 11, 1998

The Daily Forty-Niner was born in the 1949-50 academic year. It began as an unnamed mimeographed weekly that looked much like a carbon copied ditto sheet due to the faded-purple ink that graced its front page.

The first college newspaper at Cal State Long Beach, which was created by Samuel Wiley's English class, contained just five columns of news events and hit campus newsstands on Fridays.

Wiley worked with the new Forty-Niner staff to help make the paper represent the entire college, not just the student body or the administration.

With the philosophy that a paper should stimulate and express student thought while emulating the best forms of journalism, the Daily Forty-Niner received its first Honor Rating by the Associated Collegiate Press in 1953.

Shortly after that, the college newspaper saw its first woman editor in chief take control of the press in 1954 as Ruth Seeks stepped in and made her mark in Daily Forty-Niner history.

During Seeks' editorship, the paper strived to publish "scoops instead of tittle tattle," and grew from a small tabloid-size publication to a full-size newspaper.

However, the big changes came six years later in 1960 when - with the help of a larger budget allowance - the award-winning newspaper expanded to eight pages, and sometimes expanded to a record high 10 pages.

With the Daily Forty-Niner gaining more popularity and success, the staff began publishing the paper twice a week the following year, which became the most significant transformation it experienced.

In addition to meeting a deadline two days a week, the staff began to print 12 to 16 pages of news.

The Daily Forty-Niner continued to grow and began distributing a supplemental newspaper that covered evening activities for night students, which was called the Daily Forty-Niter. Although it was published four times a semester, the paper only existed for several years.

In 1964, the Daily Forty-Niner picked up steam and became one of the most widely-read campus papers in the 17 years of its existence thanks in part to the addition of sections like "Letters to the Editor."

Color highlighted the college newspaper in 1967 when it became a tri-weekly publication.

The years leading to the mid 1970s were times of both calmness and turmoil for the newspaper.

From the riotous days of anti-war protests to the onslaught of psychedelic music, and from conformity to protest, the Daily Forty-Niner was the eyes and ears of the campus, providing students with information about the changing world.

In order to keep up with all the current events, the college paper became an "almost daily" as it printed four issues a week for the first time in 1969.

The Daily Forty-Niner even hit newsstands five times a week at one point, but went back to being published four days.

In 1975, the college newspaper emphasized a design format that highlighted graphic effects.

Today, the Daily Forty-Niner is the most read publication at Cal State Long Beach. Boasting a circulation rate of 10,000. It continues to be the only publication on campus to print four issues a week.