The Coolidge Examiner was first published in 1930 – 15 years before the city of Coolidge incorporated. An excerpt from the 1980 Arizona Newspapers Association directory states, “History says the first copy off the press was placed in the hands of former President [Calvin] Coolidge at the dedication of Coolidge Dam, the second copy was presented to Charles Stauffer, publisher of the Arizona Republican in Phoenix, and that the third was given to the much-celebrated comedian-commentator Will Rogers of Oklahoma.”
Ruth and Donovan M. purchased the newspapers in Casa Grande, Eloy, Florence and Coolidge in 1962, 1967, 1970 and 1971, respectively, and over the next few decades purchased and consolidated two newspapers in Arizona City, and started the Maricopa Monitor. They also own the White Mountain Independent and WMICentral.com, covering Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside, Springerville, St. Johns and Snowflake. Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc. and White Mountain Publishing Co. are operated under Kramer Media. The White Mountain Independent was recognized as non-daily Newspaper of the Year in 2014. In mid-2016, the Kramer family purchased The Payson Roundup. The Payson Roundup and Payson.com cover the surrounding Payson Rim Country communities of Star Valley, Pine, Strawberry at the base of the Mogollon Rim. The Payson Roundup has been recognized as Newspaper of the Year 12 times by the Arizona Newspapers Association as well as being honored as the Nation’s Best Newspaper by the Inland Press Association. The Arizona Newspapers Association named Donovan M. a Master Editor-Publisher in 1976 and inducted him into the Arizona Newspapers Hall of Fame in 1998. Ruth Kramer is now company president, and Donovan Kramer Jr. and Kara K. Cooper are co-publishers of the company’s publications. Brian Kramer, son of Donovan Jr., is the publisher of the White Mountain Independent and Payson Roundup. Kara’s daughter, Zoe Cooper, is the Special Projects Director for the company. All of the children and grandchildren have worked at the newspapers growing up. The family remains active in ANA and National Newspaper Association, as well as other press organizations. The Central Saver, delivered on Tuesdays, provides advertisers added value by covering the market with a shopper format. This product reaches over 43,000 households in the Casa Grande Valley each week. Realtors and affiliated businesses “reach out” through the Arizona Real Estate Buyers’ Guide, which is distributed to locations in the East Valley, Tri-Valley, White Mountain and Payson communities and available online at PinalCentral.com, WMICentral.com and Payson.com each month. Pinal Ways, the company’s countywide quarterly magazine, features people, places and events – often with a historical flavor. PinalCentral.com is the market’s leader for local news and advertising. Each month it attracts 2 million page views and growing. Blossom Digital Marketing is the company’s digital marketing division for local, small businesses. These newspapers and other publications cover an area of more than 140 miles east to west and 50 miles from north to south; a sprawling and dynamic area that includes Pinal County – Arizona’s third most populous. This vital area, not as thoroughly covered by any other medium or combination of media, includes more than 430,000 people, engaged in such diverse occupations as farming, cattle ranching and feeding, to manufacturing, tourism and retail sales.
