From Print to Digital: The Entrepreneurial Journey of Steve Churm

(1:30) California Roots with Midwest Grit

Steve Churm describes himself as “Wisconsin born, California raised,” growing up in the bedroom communities of North Orange County North Orange County during the transformative decades of the 1960s and ’70s. His father, Peter Churm, a Korean War veteran and Kimberly-Clark executive, moved the family to California. When offered a chance to return to Wisconsin, the Churm family decided to stay, seeing the promise in Orange County. Peter eventually launched his own manufacturing company, which he successfully ran for nearly four decades. Steve’s mother, Carolyn, was deeply engaged in the community, creating a home environment rich with leadership and service.

(5:40) The Spark of Storytelling

Steve’s love for storytelling started young, influenced by his mother and his grandmother, Esther Rau, who taught him the value of clear and meaningful communication. He carried that passion to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where a switch in majors led him to journalism. Inspired by the book and film All The President’s Men, Steve was captivated by the idea of changing the world through truth-telling journalism. Like many of his generation, he dreamed of becoming the next Bob Woodward.

Steve honed his craft as editor of the Mustang Daily and landed his first job at the San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune, covering high school sports with nothing but a Royal typewriter and a looming deadline. That first job paid just $12,800 a year, but the experience was priceless. Over time, he expanded beyond sports into government and political reporting, driven by a desire to spotlight both the triumphs and troubles of the communities he covered.
Alongside him from the start was his wife, Cinda, whom he married during their senior year at Cal Poly. Steve warmly describes Cinda as “the absolute rudder” of his life—steady and guiding through each career move.

(16:30) From Newsroom to Boardroom

After stints at the South Bay Daily Breeze, the Orange County Register, and the Los Angeles Times, Steve followed his entrepreneurial instincts—perhaps inherited from his father—and launched Churm Publishing in 1990. The company became a powerhouse of regional media, producing a suite of magazines including OC Metro, OC Family, OC Menus, Southland Golf, OC Home, and others. At its peak, the company published 10 magazines, primarily focusing on Orange County but also reaching into the Inland Empire and Las Vegas.

OC Metro, the flagship publication, was free to readers and fueled by advertising revenue. You could find copies everywhere: office lobbies, commercial centers, airports—anywhere Orange County’s business community gathered. It was a strategy that worked, building massive reach and influence.

On the podcast, I shared with Steve a personal story: GoldenComm, my company, landed one of its first big advertising wins in OC Metro. That moment was a BHAG—a “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal”—for us. Our account executive at Churm Publishing was Jill Perisich, and that ad placement felt like a rite of passage for our young business. In fact, that’s where Steve and I first met.

(22:00) A Digital Turning Point

Around 2005, Churm Publishing faced the industry-wide shift toward digital media. That’s when Steve and I began working closely together to help the company transition from a legacy print publisher into the digital world. Our first project together—a digital transformation contract—was also GoldenComm’s first $100K deal. Steve joked that GoldenComm quickly became Churm Publishing’s biggest expense, but in hindsight, he says the investment was essential to keeping the company alive. Without it, Churm Publishing’s story might have ended much sooner.

One of the innovative digital projects was the OC Metro Minute, a quick-hit business news segment championed by Kimberly Porrazzo. Long before streaming became mainstream, OC Metro Minute delivered trending business news in a video format—way ahead of its time.

(27:00) Selling the Publishing Business

But no matter how innovative, the media landscape was changing fast. The rise of pay-per-click advertising signaled the decline of traditional magazines. Recognizing the shift, Steve prepared his company for sale, and in 2012, he successfully sold Churm Publishing to Freedom Communications, the parent company of the OC Register. The digital evolution made Churm Publishing an attractive acquisition.

(30:15) To Be Continued… (stay tuned for podcast 2 of 2)

Steve stayed on for three years after the sale, helping Freedom Communications integrate the business. After that chapter closed, he was ready for his next frontier—a journey we explore in part two of this podcast series.