Our Story
About Gardena Valley News
The Gardena Reporter began in 1904 as a four-column, four-page newspaper. H.C. Morrill was the first publisher, and Gardena was then an unincorporated area of Los Angeles, consisting of a few houses east of the Redondo Steam Railway Company tracks.
Following Morrill as publisher was George G. Burns, and a half-dozen other owners including K.T. Hubbell, a Compton banker, Charlie Turner, and Anthone Knudsen, according to company sources. Knudsen took over during WW I and enlarged the Reporter to a 6-column sheet, which usually ran 4 pages.
Bert Perrin purchased the newspaper in 1924 and changed the name to the Gardena Valley News. In 1928, Perrin sold the business to Lew Guild and L.E. Gingery, two printing instructors at Gardena High School.
From 1928 to 1945, the GVN grew under Guild, who in 1938 purchased a semi-rotary Goss Comet press. The GVN evolved from 7 columns to a standard 8-column page.
New type faces and style heads were introduced and streamlined the look of the GVN, which by this time was filled with hometown news and was professionally edited.
Guild sold the property and business, which was located on downtown Gardena Boulevard, to Amos H. Dow of Compton.
Dow died six weeks later, and the GVN was taken over by his widow, Agnes Dow. She was brilliant writer and easily assumed the role of editor. Agnes was joined in the company operation by her brother, George Don Algie, who handled the press and print side of the business.
The GVN further evolved in news content, staff size, as well as advances in print technology. Distribution changed from mail to carrier boy. As the community grew, so did every aspect of the newspaper.
Dow and Algie moved the GVN from Gardena Boulevard to hits new home at 164127 S. Western Ave. in 1951.
When Dow left the company in the mid-1950s, Algie assumed control of the company. In the 1960s, he took on a partner, William Hunt, to oversee the newspaper operation.
A rival newspaper, the Gardena Tribune, was bought out by Algie and combined into the Gardena Valley News.
After Hunt’s death in the 1970s, Algie carried on as publisher of the newspaper, which had been a twice weekly for much of his ownership.
The GVN was prosperous in the 1970s and ‘80s, regularly publishing issues of 40 pages or more. A fire at the Western Avenue office forced Algie to move the print operation.
He purchased property at 15005 S. Vermont Ave. and set up his presses at that facility.
In 1994, the GVN made an attempt to expand into the neighboring city of Carson. The venture lasted one year.
At that time, the GVN shifted to a weekly and remained so to the present. By 1995, the GVN joined the computer revolution in newspaper preparation.
A few years later, the GVN attempted to enter Torrance and for a couple of years, provided news coverage in the area. Ultimately, the Torrance coverage ceased, and the GVN remained a solid news source in Gardena.
In 2004, the GVN celebrated 100 years of operation.
By August 2005, Algie sold the GVN print business and property on Vermont Avenue to brothers Edward and Daniel Verdugo.
The GVN became part of the CommunityMedia Corp. family of approximately 20 community weeklies, from Culver City to San Diego.
By December 2005, the GVN offices (on leased property) at 16517 S. Western Ave. were closed, and the Verdugo brothers moved the news staff to the current Vermont address.
In 2006, the GVN transitioned from a broadsheet to a short-tab newspaper.
In January 2013, The Gardena Valley News launches its news website and online publication.
