Photo: The early staff of the youth newspaper Youth Awareness Press. Photo taken about 1979 at the Tucson YWCA basement. Robert Zucker is upper left top row.

1978 Spring. Tucson, Arizona YWCA Outreach Director Robert Zucker prints and distributes a citywide youth newsletter, Youth Awareness a Tucson Teen Community Alternative Guide, with local activities and resources for youth groups and organizations. The program is funded with funds from the United Way and CETA.

1978 June. Youth Alternatives. The first tabloid edition of Arizona's first youth produced newspaper is published with special funds from the Pima County Juvenile Justice Collaboration (with grants from LEAA and National Assembly). Volunteer youth (agency referrals from group shelter care homes) write copy, investigate information and events to publish and distribute 30,000 free copies that are distributed on-campus in Tucson-area junior and senior high: schools, and off-campus in public libraries, recreation centers and nearly one hundred youth-oriented businesses.

July. The Youth Awareness Press newspaper begins publication of a series of editions funded through the Tucson YWCA with assistance from the PCJCC, City of Tucson Dept. of Human & Community Development, the United Way of Greater Tucson and CETA. Youth are recruited for on-the-job skills and training in journalism and clerical work from Tucson Urban League, Tucson Manpower Development, Inc., Tucson Unified School District, Pima County School District, Pima County Juvenile Court Center, Voluntary Action Center and through community volunteerism.

1979 December-May. One of Tucson first teen disco clubs opens on the weekends, operated by the Teen program in conjunction with local restaurant the Gazebo, as a fund raiser to supplement "seed" grants to continue to publish the teen newspaper.

May. Summer teen dances held throughout the city at local schools and community centers in conjunction with the Tucson City Parks, Tucson Unified School District, the Tucson Police Dept. and KTKT radio station to raise funds for publication operations and provide youth with summer nighttime activities.

December. Sunday afternoon teen dances held at another local club and restaurant through the month with assistance from KRQ-FM radio station.

1980 January. The Gannett Newspaper Foundation awards a $14,940 grant to purchase a Compset 510/504 phototypesetter /keyboard/ processor to train youth in its use, typeset the newspaper in-house, and perform community typesetting services. TUSD students receive course credit through the Professional Internship and Adaptive Education Programs.

March. The Youth Awareness Week Town Hall commences at the University of Arizona. The publication is involved with publicity and media for the conference and week of activities. Copper Certificate awarded by Mayor Lewis Murphy for the publication program's service to the community.

Photo: The staff of the Tucson Teen in 1981 outside of Robert Zucker, the publisher's house, in Tucson, AZ. The newspaper was assembled by the staff into the late evening hours. Robert Zucker is the 5th from the left. Other staff include Charles Casey, David Moskowitz, James Babcock, Kaye Boyd (not pictured) and Neil Costin. Kaye passed away in December 2005.

1981 March. Funds for the publication conclude. The newspaper continues with advertising support from the business community as the Tucson Teen. The newspaper is distributed in the schools, libraries, etc. All staff members on CETA and other grants become volunteers to keep the publication and its training program operating.

June. The Arizona State Dept. of Correction Prevention Unit provides a "seed" grant with additional support from the Tucson Press Club and some advertisers.

July. The City of Tucson DHCD awards funds to publish a special section for the fiscal year to educate students and drop-out about employment and the job market. Five citywide offices established in schools, neighborhood centers and the YWCA Students from TUSD, Amphitheatre and Sunnyside School Districts referred for off-campus credit. Interns from the University of Arizona and Pima Community College are placed for course credit.

August. A weekly radio program, produced by the newspaper staff begins on radio station KHYT-AM with youth hosts, interviews, event and resource information for teenagers.

1982 June. The Youth Cable Consortium (YCC) organizes at the YWCA with cooperation from the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts. Job Corps and TUSD for youth placements. Studio and office spaces provided by the Tucson YWCA grant from the City of Tucson Cable Administrators Office awarded _to facilitate youth Involvement in public access cable TV and video programming for the fiscal year.

September. The publication changed its name to the Magazine to expand focus and meet wider community information needs. A comprehensive calendar of events lists hundreds of things for all ages to do throughout the month. More UA. Pima College students and adults begin to volunteer a few months at a time to gain journalism skills and access to the print media. Distribution extends into the colleges, convenience stores and more businesses. Information network organized among radio and youth cable TV programs.

Through the Year. Fund raising events held at a franchise pizza parlor and local skating rink in conjunction With KTKT AM and KHYT-AM radio stations.

1983 March. Youth Cable grant concludes. Youth continue to volunteer on their own to produce video programming with continued support from the Tucson YWCA and the publication.

1984 January. Weekly programming of VideoWaves, produced by youth from the YCC, begins on Cox Cable Channel 37 on Sundays. The publication continues with its volunteers in donated spaces at the YWCA.

1985 March. The publication updates its title to the Entertainment Magazine to widen the demographic market to adults and families. Circle K stores (and Advanced Distributing Co.) provided newspaper racks in all of its 130 stores for the publication.

July. The United Way and City of Tucson awards the YWCA funds for the publication to print and distribute employment education to teenagers on-and-off campus in a special section called "Insights: On the Job." Training in journalism provided to youth who produce the section.

September. Pima College places three interns. Community Restitution referrals continue from Pima Co. Juvenile Court and Voluntary Action Center. A Visual Graphics Pos 1 Camera and Daylight Processor loaned to the publication to reduce camera-ready costs and provide training in camera work.

1986 The Entertainment Magazine and Tucson Teen newspapers are published through Community Media Services, sponsored by Southwest Alternatives Institute, Inc. (SAI), a non-profit organization, after the closure of the local Tucson YWCA facility. Both publications are supported entirely through advertising sales fund raising events, commercial publishing order and tax-deductible donations.

1994 The ECHO Entertainment & News, cosponsored through KEKO radio station, City of Tucson Community Relations Dept. and BFI merges with Entertainment Magazine to publish 50,000 copies a monthly home delivery into Tucson households. Community Media Services (CMS), through SAI, Inc. continues to provide journalism opportunities to students and the community. The Roadhouse Music Magazine and Prensa Hispanic newspaper become CMS publishing clients. The print edition of Entertainment Magazine ceases with the September edition.

1995 January. The Internet version of Entertainment Magazine and Tucson Teen launched as emol.org (Entertainment Magazine On Line). Later, entertainmentmagazine.net, entertainmentmagazine.org and azentertain.com domains acquired.

2006 BZB Publishing, Inc. acquires the newspaper titles and domain names, owned by Robert Zucker.

Robert Zucker Publishing Index