 On April 26, 2006, it was announced that MediaNews Group, headed by William Dean Singleton, would purchase four of the "orphan 12," including the "Herald", the "Contra Costa Times" and "San Jose Mercury News", for $1 billion.In December 2013, MediaNews Group and 21st Century Media merged to create a new company operating under the name of its parent company, Digital First Media.In 2013, the "Santa Cruz Sentinel" joined the same community newspaper division for Digital First Media as the Monterey Herald.