Years ago, great newspapers commissioned composers to create musical themes for them, such as John Philip Sousa's "Washington Post March," but as far as we know, the Independent Coast Observer is the only paper to have its own rag. Recreating a popular American musical style of the early 20th Century, Riley McLaughlin composed and recorded the "ICO Rag" in 1984 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Independent Coast Observer. Riley had been involved in the early years of the ICO (see history below), and moved on to the broader field of multimedia production. Back then Cassettes of the ICO Rag were sent as "Thank You" gifts to the ICO charter subscribers who were still on our subscription rolls, and now you can hear it yourself by clicking here.
The Independent Coast Observer started with an idea back in 1968. Joanna R. McLaughlin and her husband John McLaughlin had discovered The Sea Ranch in northern California, then a new and visionary concept "living lightly on the land" along the ocean. They had decided that the area was the place for them, purchased a lot and constructed a second home there. Their plan was to vacation there until John retired in several years from his career as a microwave tube engineer in Palo Alto.
As Joanna became familiar with her adopted community, she realized that The Sea Ranch and its nearby communities were not served by a local newspaper. Before she was married, Joanna had been a newspaper reporter (and before that, the Cincinnati Times-Star's first "copy girl"). While she and John were raising a family, Joanna had published newsletters and papers for church, school PTA and neighborhood associations, but had always held the dream that most newsfolk do -- to own and operate her own weekly newspaper.
In April, 1969, she realized that dream, by publishing the first issue of the Independent Coast Observer. The first monthly issues were actually written at her dining room table in her home in Palo Alto, after she spent extended weekends up on the coast interviewing her neighbors and gathering the news. After getting each issue printed, she would drive it up to the coast for mailing and distribution. Their son Riley helped with the photo and production of the Independent Coast Observer in the early days, and is responsible for most of the original editorial art that gives the ICO its distinctive look, including the fence and bird on its banner. Other than the typesetting, photo processing and other production work, Joanna did most of the jobs all by herself.
Within just a few months, Joanna and John realized that the coast was where they wanted to live full-time. John took early retirement, they sold their peninsula home and moved to Mendonoma. Joanna was Editor and Publisher of the Independent Coast Observer, and John was Chief Photographer.
Their younger son Steve had helped with the newspaper during summer vacations while he was still attending Santa Clara University. Steve moved to Gualala and came on the staff full-time right out of college, in 1971. In June of that year, the paper doubled its frequency to twice per month, and then went weekly in November, 1972.
Starting in 1973, the ICO was printed in Gualala on its own newspaper presses. John's "retirement" had turned into a full-time job of Chief Photographer and Production Manager. His experience as a mechanical engineer served him well as he taught himself the art of printing -- the weekly ICO successfully rolled off just one week after the Heidelberg KORD press was installed! (The ICO outgrew its own print shop by 2004, and is now printed in a larger printing plant.)
In his first years at the ICO, Steve McLaughlin split his time between display advertising and reporting for the newspaper. He covered Point Arena City Council and other meetings, and wrote and photographed other news and features. As the newspaper expanded, he became full time Display Ad Manager and Associate Publisher, though he still contributed from time to time to the editorial side. Joanna remained Editor and Publisher, and a reporter was added to the staff.
John died in 1980. David Torres, who had been trained by John in both news photography and printing, became the ICO's Production Manager and Chief Photographer, a position he still holds today.
In 1986, Joanna "semi-retired" and turned her editorial duties over to Steve, though she continued to be actively involved in the business as Publisher, and also wrote frequently for the paper. Steve became Editor and Associate Publisher, and an additional staffer was added as Display Ad Manager, along with other staff over the years.
Joanna McLaughlin died in 1995, and today her son J. Stephen McLaughlin, as Editor and Publisher of the Independent Coast Observer, carries on her idea of a local weekly newspaper serving the communities of the Mendonoma Coast.