What Happened to the SF Chronicle's Obituaries
The San Francisco Chronicle announced it would be phasing out its paid print obituary section. For a paper that has carried death notices going back to 1865, this isn't just a layout change. It's a structural shift that affects how the Bay Area's grieving community finds information about funerals and memorial services. The headline itself became a bit of a dark joke online, but the reality is straightforward: the Chronicle is moving obituary content almost entirely to a digital-first model while cutting print space dramatically. I've been tracking this space for years, from local papers to national outlets, and the Chronicle's approach is typical of what we've been seeing industry-wide since 2020. The economics of print obits are brutal. A full-page obit in the Chronicle ran around $600 to $800 not so long ago. These days the rate is higher, and the audience reading the obituary section in print is a fraction of what it was fifteen years ago. Most people under seventy don't bother with the print paper anymore. The revenue that used to subsidize a dedicated section just isn't there.
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The Chronicle has shifted to hosting longer-form obituaries on its website, often at no direct cost to the family, while keeping a slimmed-down print section that's more editorial in nature. They've also partnered with sites like Legacy.com for basic death notices, which is a common enough workaround these days. But the nuance is in what gets cut. The free digital option usually means a paragraph or two, maybe a photo. If you want the fuller treatment, the longer life story, the interview-style piece that the Chronicle was actually known for, that still costs money, and the pricing structure has changed. Here's what I learned dealing with this firsthand when my father's stepmother passed last year. I called the obit desk expecting the old process, where you'd fax in a draft and work with a editor over a couple of days to craft something that felt complete. The person who answered had a script. They were polite, but the options were basically this: pay for a full-page print ad, submit to the free digital slot, or go to an external service. There was no collaborative editing anymore. The deadline for same-week publication was tight, and I'd already lost a day figuring out which phone number to call because the number listed on their website was disconnected. That's the kind of friction you deal with now. The workarounds are practical if you know them. File your obituary through Legacy.com if budget is tight. They charge around $100 to $150 for a notice that still gets syndicated to multiple Bay Area papers and funeral home websites. If you want the Chronicle's editorial treatment specifically, expect to pay between $400 and $700 depending on length and whether you include a photo. The review process takes about forty-eight hours minimum now, versus the old turnaround of twenty-four. You'll need to supply your own final copy. They won't write it for you unless you're paying for their in-house writer, which runs extra.
A few things nobody tells you about this transition that matter more than the pricing. First, the Chronicle's obituary archives are now harder to search. The old print section was cataloged cleanly. The new digital version scatters older pieces across different URL structures, and their search function doesn't reliably filter by year or neighborhood. If you're looking up a notice from ten years ago, plan to spend more time digging than you should have to. Second, many funeral directors in the area are now offering bundled packages that include both a Legacy.com listing and a shorter Chronicle submission, usually at a discount. It's worth asking any funeral home you work with if they have a standing deal with either service. Third, the Chronicle does occasionally publish editorial obituaries of notable figures for free. If someone you knew had actual regional significance, you can submit a pitch to the editorial desk rather than paying for an ad. It's not guaranteed, but it's a path people miss entirely because nobody mentions it. The bigger picture here is that this is happening everywhere, not just in San Francisco. The Seattle Times did something similar. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette folded its paid obit section into a subscription wall. What's left is a patchwork of free digital placeholders and expensive legacy-style ads that look the same as they did thirty years ago but cost twice as much. The Chronicle's move isn't unique, but it's notable because they were one of the last major West Coast dailies to keep a substantial paid print obituary section running this long. Their departure marks the end of an era that more people should have noticed was already crumbling. If you're planning ahead, consider writing your own obituary while you're still alive. Several of the Bay Area funeral homes now offer free ghostwriting services if you pre-plan. It's cleaner than scrambling during a crisis week and makes sure the details are right. The Chronicle's online submission portal changed its interface twice in eighteen months, which means any instructions you find on their website might already be outdated. The most reliable approach is to call, confirm current rates, and ask about turnaround time before you commit to anything.
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