For the record ...

June 3, 2008

Some of you reading this entry probably came to this site expecting … well … coastdispatch.com. I’ll tell you what happened.

A member of the area business community sent me a message in late May stating they owned the business name “Coast Dispatch.” The note was not antagonistic. It was professional and courteous, just a simple statement with a Fictitious Business Name entry attached as proof.

Fair enough. In good faith, I removed the name from the site and will rework my website templates to reflect my original publishing venture’s name, the North Coast Current. The website may also permanently remain a place to park my blog, as well. I haven’t made a decision yet.

But I want to set the record straight on any suspicions regarding my use of the “Coast Dispatch” name for the nearly two years I did, unchallenged. (I, too, have an FBN under the name “The New Coast Dispatch,” but again in the interest of good faith I opted not to pose a challenge.)

I bought the remnants of the original newspaper from the publisher who last printed the paper under the “Sun” name back in 2005. The publisher approached me to buy the Coast Dispatch’s remnants, and being a local history buff and occasional publisher myself, I absolutely said yes. I have owned the “coastdipatch.com” domain name dating back to 2002.

I bought these aspects of Encinitas’ original Coast Dispatch fairly and with the best of intentions both personally and professionally.

Several inquiries have come my way regarding access to these materials, mostly for historical research. The materials I possess are not available for public use at this time, nor are they for sale. I still welcome such inquiries, though, as I keep a record of contacts from people who express such an interest.