The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with North America and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(April 2010) |
Community paper is a term used by publishers, advertisers and readers to describe a range of publications that share a common service to their local community and commerce. Their predominant medium being newsprint, often free and published at regular weekly or monthly intervals, Community Papers are distinguished by their demonstrable levels of local engagement, rather than by the scope of their content. While Merriam-Webster and other dictionaries have yet to define Community Paper, the term has long been incorporated into the actual name of six state, five regional and one national trade association [1] of hometown publishers of passing events, both general and commercial. While the diverse composition of their membership may cast a wide tent over the term, all Community Papers have a Nameplate, bear a Masthead, are fixed in print and dated by edition, are published at regular intervals, and are archived internally at a minimum. Whether a specific Community Paper might more resemble a Shopper or a Newspaper, all such local papers fit the dictionary definition of Publication and Periodical, [2] and are clearly distinguished from Flyers, Handbills and Circulars which are printed, usually at sporadic intervals, and serve a limited, often singular commercial interest.
While free community papers may have complicated Professor Pollard's quest to craft the ultimate description of "legitimate newspaper," their emergence becoming increasingly common with the establishment of Third Class Mails in 1928, the explosive growth and real birth of an industry came after his exercise in publishing segregation. Less than half a decade hence, notes free paper publishing pioneer Victor Jose notes in his treatise on the industry, the wave of returning veterans of World War Two came home to plant publishing flags in their own hometowns, in service to the obvious communications needs and giving rise to free community papers for all. [3] By the late 1990s, the trade associations representing free community paper publishers began their universal embrace of independent audits of circulation, and soon into the new century the industry was governed by the strict standards and scrutiny of Circulation Verification Council [4] ). Today, the weekly, audited reach of free community papers [5] exceeds 65,000,000 according to the collaborative initiative, PaperChain [6] ).
Print circulation is the average number of copies of a publication. The number of copies of a non-periodical publication are usually called print run. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some issues are distributed without cost to the reader. Readership figures are usually higher than circulation figures because of the assumption that a typical copy is read by more than one person.
The Tennessean is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, which also owns several smaller community newspapers in Middle Tennessee, including The Dickson Herald, the Gallatin News-Examiner, the Hendersonville Star-News, the Fairview Observer, and the Ashland City Times. Its circulation area overlaps those of the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle and The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, two other independent Gannett papers. The company publishes several specialty publications, including Nashville Lifestyles magazine.
The Guelph Mercury was an English language daily newspaper published in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It published a mix of community, national and international news and is owned by the Torstar Corporation. The newspaper, in many incarnations, was a part of the community since 1854. It was one of the oldest broadsheet newspapers in Ontario. Publication was discontinued in late January 2016.
A newsagent's shop or simply newsagent's or paper shop, newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Great Britain, Ireland and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents. Newsagents typically operate in busy public places like city streets, railway stations and airports. Racks for newspapers and magazines can also be found in convenience stores, bookstores and supermarkets. The physical establishment can be either freestanding or part of a larger structure.
Free newspapers are distributed free of charge, often in central places in cities and towns, on public transport, with other newspapers, or separately door-to-door. The revenues of such newspapers are based on advertising. They are published at different levels of frequencies, such as daily, weekly or monthly.
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser. It is owned by the Postmedia Network.
The Flint Journal is a quad-weekly newspaper based in Flint, Michigan, owned by Booth Newspapers, a subsidiary of Advance Publications. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, it serves Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee Counties. As of February 2, 2012, it is headquartered in Downtown Flint at 540 S Saginaw St, Suite 504. The paper and its sister publications The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times are printed at the Booth-owned Valley Publishing Co. printing plant in Monitor Township.
Daily Ireland was an Irish daily newspaper which existed from January 2005 to September 2006 to cover news stories from an Irish republican viewpoint. It was linked to the Belfast local newspaper, the Andersonstown News. In September 2006, the newspaper announced it was ceasing publication, with the 475th and last issue published on 7 September.
Weeklys, formerly known as Metro Newspapers, is an American media group established in 1985 and based in San Jose, California.
The Post and Courier is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the Charleston Courier, founded in 1803, the Charleston Daily News, founded 1865, and The Evening Post, founded 1894. Through the Courier, it brands itself as the oldest daily newspaper in the South and one of the oldest continuously operating newspapers in the United States. It is the flagship newspaper of Evening Post Industries, which in turn is owned by the Manigault family of Charleston, descendants of Peter Manigault.
The Toledo Free Press was a weekly newspaper which was published from 2005 to 2015 in Toledo, Ohio. It was relaunched in 2024 as an online-only publication at the same Web address.
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat was a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1852 until 1986. The paper began operations on July 1, 1852, as The Daily Missouri Democrat, changing its name to The Missouri Democrat in 1868, then to The St. Louis Democrat in 1873. It merged with the St. Louis Globe to form the St. Louis Globe-Democrat in 1875.
The Gazette, also known as the Montreal Gazette, is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Newspapers have been published in the United States since the 18th century and are an integral part of the culture of the United States. Although a few newspapers including The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal are sold throughout the United States, most U.S. newspapers are published for city or regional markets. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post are often referred to as the United States' "newspaper of record".
The Record-Journal is an American daily newspaper based in Meriden, Connecticut, that dates back to the years immediately following the American Civil War. It was owned by the Record-Journal Publishing Company, a family-owned business entity, until it was sold to Hearst Communications Connecticut Media Group in November 2023.
The decline of newspapers in the 21st century is region dependent. Data supports that, in the U.S. and Europe, popularity and sales are wavering. In these regions, industry is facing slumping ad sales, the loss of much classified advertising, and precipitous drops in circulation. The U.S. saw the loss of an average of two newspapers per week between late 2019 and May 2022, leaving an estimated 70 million people in places that are already news deserts and areas that are in high risk of becoming so. Prior to that steep decline, newspapers' weekday circulation had fallen 7% and Sunday circulation 4% in the United States, their greatest declines since 2010. If the trend continues, a third of newspapers will be lost by 2025, according to a 2022 study published by Northwestern University.
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports, art, and science. They often include materials such as opinion columns, weather forecasts, reviews of local services, obituaries, birth notices, crosswords, editorial cartoons, comic strips, and advice columns.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) of India is a non-profit circulation-audit organisation. It certifies and audits the circulations of major publications, including newspapers and magazines in India.
Verified Audit Circulation was a United States company founded by Geraldine Knight in 1951 that conducts circulation audits of both free and paid print publications and of traffic figures for web sites. The company also provides custom research and verifies field delivery of products such as yellow pages, branded delivery bags, and door hangers.
There were five important periods in the history of Canadian newspapers' responsible for the eventual development of the modern newspaper. These are the "Transplant Period" from 1750 to 1800, when printing and newspapers initially came to Canada as publications of government news and proclamations; followed by the "Partisan Period from 1800–1850," when individual printers and editors played a growing role in politics. The "Nation Building Period from 1850–1900," when Canadian editors began the work of establishing a common nationalistic view of Canadian society. The "Modern period" from 1900 to 1980s saw the professionalization of the industry and the growth of chains. "Current history" since the 1990s saw outside interests take over the chains, as they faced new competition from the Internet.