Fresno Bee moves to new location in Bitwise 41 building

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno Bee began a new chapter on Friday as the newspaper positions itself for the future.

Like many other publications, The Fresno Bee was once a newspaper that had a website.

But with people today much more likely to "read all about it" on their phones, the Bee has transitioned into a digital company which also prints a paper.

On Friday, crews packed up equipment and belongings as Fresno Bee workers left a building where daily newspapers were first printed back in 1976.

Fresno Bee Editor Joe Kieta is excited for the future but the newspaper's rich past also weighs heavily on his mind.

He said the paper's archives still need to be preserved.

"We've been working with some community groups, trying to figure out how we could get it in a place where it's accessible because that's the rough draft of the community's history going all the way back to 1922."

The building is for sale. It is owned by the Fresno Bee Pension Fund so the archives will remain until a better spot is found.

It also covers 300,000 square feet in downtown Fresno - much too big for a staff of 80.

The Bee is moving operations to the Bitwise 41 building several blocks away.

"It's a smaller location for sure but it's also one that better suits our needs for what we are today as a digital news company," said Kieta.

Subscribers can read the Fresno Bee online but Kieta said staff will continue to print paper editions.

Several Bee employees worked remotely on Friday to update the website and to make sure stories were ready for Sunday's printed edition.