The Recycler
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Website logo (top) and front page of the October 23–29, 2008 Recycler West | |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Midi |
| Owner(s) | Target Media Partners |
| Publisher | E Z Buy & E Z Sell Recycler Corporation of Southern California through Target Media Partners |
| Managing editors | Patricia Ford |
| Founded | July 1973 |
| Headquarters |
303 N. Glenoaks Blvd. #L105, Burbank, California 91502 United States |
| Website | recycler.com |
The Recycler is a Los Angeles based, classifieds only newspaper, started by Gunter and Nancy Schaldach in 1973. The Recycler was based in Silverlake (a district of Los Angeles) and was subsequently sold to the Times Mirror Company in 1998. The company was initially composed of Jon from England, Barbie, from Canada and Dennis from Michigan. The Gunther and Nancy had, along with Jon and Barbie, operated a similar operation in Canada. They came to Los Angeles and started the Los Angeles version in 1973. Dennis came on as the typesetter around that time. The typesetting was done on a Compugraphic 2000 'cold type' typesetting machine. The original idea was that the ads were free and The Recycler was sold for .25 cents at the time. Jon would distribute the papers to the stores. Barbie was involved in Sales also. The 'company vehicle' was one of the original Honda Civics and an old Oldsmobile (or Chevrolet) station wagon.
By the 1980s The Recycler Brand was well known regionally and at least three famous bands of the 1980s were formed by people who answered ads in The Recycler. Mick Mars joined Mötley Crüe after placing an ad answered by drummer Tommy Lee. James Hetfield answered an ad placed by Lars Ulrich, ultimately leading to the birth of Metallica. Ulrich placed another ad shortly after while the band was in search of a lead guitarist. The ad was answered by temporary member/co-songwriter and future Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine. Also Duff McKagan replied to an ad placed by Slash and Steven Adler leading to an early incarnation of Guns N' Roses.
Recycler.com is Southern California's vast online classified advertisements community of buyers and sellers, with thousands of local and niche, free and paid ads (used cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, and new vehicles, along with merchandise, pets, electronics and appliances, employment, real estate and anything else) – which operates with the Recycler classifieds print publication (4 editions covering all of Southern California) and partnered with many other publications across California and the country.
By 1998 the publication had grown to print ten regional editions including Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura, Inland Empire, San Gabriel Valley, South Bay, Burbank/ Pasadena/ Glendale, San Diego, San Fernando Valley and Las Vegas. The Times purchased all but the San Diego and Las Vegas editions which were sold independently and phased out of print within a year after the acquisition.
The Times Mirror Company was purchased by the Chicago Tribune around the turn of the century and, as Tribune's vision for the Recycler (often referred to as "The Red Headed Step Child") was never made clear the Recycler was left to lay fallow and became a victim of neglect, wasting any potential to compete with prodigies like Craigslist. As the internet superhighway whizzed along, Recycler Classified pushed its moped along the shoulder—on the highway but unable to keep up since the engine- Gunter and Nancy Schaldach- was no longer running.
The Target Media Company purchased Recycler in 2007 when the Tribune filed for Chapter 11 protection and was able to revive the publication and its online presence into what it is today.