At the time of its founding in 1994, SFGate was one of the first large-market media sites in the world. The site was created by Allen Weiner and John Coate, who wanted to provide the San Francisco Bay Area with news and information through an accessible, online platform. Initially known as The Gate, it was officially renamed SFGate in 1998. Today, SFGate is owned and operated by Hearst Communications, with Grant Marek serving as the Editor-in-Chief since 2019. SFGate covers a wide range of topics including local news, politics, sports, culture, food and drink, travel, and technology. The site serves as a portal to the Bay Area and California's most important news and fascinating features, and has expanded its coverage to include dedicated reporting on areas such as Lake Tahoe, California Parks, Disneyland, the Central Coast, and Hawaii. The site has made a name for itself by offering a unique mix of essential news and underground stories from hidden corners of the Bay Area. **One interesting fact**: In 2012, SFGate won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, marking the first time since the category's creation in 1922 that the award went to an artist whose work did not appear in print. The winning cartoons were animated political cartoons by Mark Fiore, which appeared exclusively on the website.