Over the course of Spring 2024 The Santa Maria Times print comics page has been slowly switching to a King Features Syndicate-only page. Above is March 26, 2024; below is the June 26, 2024.
Yesterday The Santa Maria Times announced that they have signed onto the Comics Kingdom digital program:
For decades the Santa Maria Times website has provided news on local government, local sports and life in Santa Maria along with information about county government and events happening across Santa Barbara County.
Starting this week, SantaMariaTimes.com has an additional reason for you to visit; online access to comics and puzzles sections.
The Times is proud to offer a selection of syndicated comics and featured puzzles in our print product five days a week. Now, our readers can access a full collection of national comic strips and a wide selection of puzzles that can be worked on a desktop, tablet or mobile device.
The online comics feature a full section of titles that are also featured in the print edition, as well as additional syndicated strips that are available in other markets.
Imteresting. Back in the ’70s, King Features offered their wares at twice the minimum of any other syndicates’ strips. I wonder if their price schedule has changed after the passage of fifty years and the demise of most of their competitors.
In the mid-90s, they were offering free samples, the hope, I assume, being that if a paper ran a strip for a while, they’d catch hell from readers if they cancelled it when the free period ran out. Marketing approaches vary over the years, naturally.
The Santa Maria Times drops Peanuts, Garfield, and B.C., but keeps the non King Features owned Rubes?
Since Rubes is distributed by Creators, don’t hope for King Features to acquire Creators.com !
I have no proof-positive since newspapers.com has a month delay, but I think at some point during the past month (the comics switching shown above happened in staggered stages over the course of Spring 2024) The Times replaced Rubes with Dennis the Menace or another King Features panel, as they do say in their announcement that all their print comics are also available to read at their Comics Kingdom e-edition platform.