Merced Sun-Star
Newspaper PublishingUnited States51-200 Employees
Merced Sun-Star is a United States‑based newspaper publishing company employing 51-200 people and operating its online presence at mercedsunstar.com. The publication traces its origins to 1869 as the San Joaquin Valley Argus, moved to Merced a year later, and adopted the Merced Sun-Star name in 1926. Ownership has changed several times, including a 1930s acquisition by Dean Lesher that marked a modernization of the paper, a 1971 relocation to the current G Street site, and sales to U.S. Media in 1985 followed by acquisition by The McClatchy Company in January 2004. The organization has pursued digital initiatives, including an online voter tool launched in November 2022 and the Merced Connect mobile app first released in 2016, along with the publication of public data sets. As part of the broader newspaper publishing industry in the United States, the Merced Sun-Star serves Merced and surrounding communities with news coverage and related content.