Guelph Mercury

Last updated
Guelph Mercury
Mercurycartouche.jpg
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s) Metroland Media Group (Torstar Corporation)
Founded1853, as Wellington Mercury
Ceased publicationJanuary 29, 2016
Circulation 12,863 weekdays
13,028 Saturdays in 2010 [1]
Website guelphmercury.com

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. [2] Publication was discontinued in late January 2016.

Contents

History

The Wellington Mercury was founded in 1853, and published weekly by owner George Keeling.

A competing paper was started in 1854, named the Guelph Advertiser. It was published weekly as well.

In 1862, Toronto newspaperman and MP James Innes took over the editorship of the Guelph Advertiser and shortly thereafter formed a partnership with John McLagan, owner of the competing weekly newspaper the Guelph Mercury.

The two papers merged to form the Mercury and Advertiser. The Mercury was expanded into a daily newspaper in 1867. Among its editors was the future best-selling novelist Thomas B. Costain who worked there from 1908 to 1910. The Guelph Mercury has since had numerous owners. Innes sold his share in the newspaper in 1905 to J. Innes McIntosh, who also bought the Guelph Herald, a competing daily newspaper, in 1924. McIntosh then sold his share in 1929 to James Playfair, who sold the paper in the late 1940s to Thomson Newspapers. Thomson remained owner for half a century, until Hollinger Inc. purchased the paper in 1995. Sun Media purchased the paper in 1998 and then resold it to Torstar.

The Guelph Mercury was then published six days a week by Metroland Media Group, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The newspaper also published a free weekly roundup for some time as well as various other special publications. A magazine, Guelph Life, was cancelled as a cost-cutting measure in 2009 but restored in 2015; it continued after the Guelph Mercury ceased publication in early 2016. The Mercury was one of few Metroland newspapers still to have their own presses since the Mercury's sister paper, the Waterloo Region Record , is printed at another Torstar site, The Hamilton Spectator in Hamilton, Ontario. In February 2009, Torstar announced layoffs across the chain, including 13 newsroom staff at the Guelph Mercury. According to the announcement, copy editing and page production of the paper will be transferred to the Waterloo Region Record, reducing the editorial staff of the paper to two managers and eight reporter–photographers. [3] Both the Guelph Tribune and Guelph Mercury are owned and published by Metroland Media Group but keep separate newsrooms and operations. The Guelph Mercury's Goss Urbanite Press was shut down on February 7, 2014, at which time printing moved to the Hamilton Spectator.

Publication discontinued

On January 25, 2016, Metroland Media Group announced that the Guelph Mercury would publish its final issue on January 29, 2016, citing a difficulty in remaining profitable because of declining circulation (9,000 subscriptions at that time) and difficulty obtaining national advertising. [4] All of the staff were laid off. At the time of the announcement, there was an indication that some content would continue to be published on the newspaper's web site. [5] Metroland Media Group confirmed that it would continue publishing news and "unique local content" through its twice-weekly Guelph Tribune which is distributed free of charge. As well, the Mercury's real estate section, Guelph and District Homes, would continue to be printed and distributed. [6]

By April 2016, the Guelph Tribune had increased its coverage of local news and rebranded with a new title, Guelph Mercury Tribune. At the same time, the Guelph Mercury Tribune started using the website www.guelphmercury.com as its main location for online local news, information and advertising. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Toronto Star</i> Canadian daily newspaper in Ontario

The Toronto Star is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands division. The newspaper's offices are located at One Yonge Street in the Harbourfront neighbourhood of Toronto.

<i>The London Free Press</i> Newspaper based in London, Ontario

The London Free Press is a daily newspaper based in London, Ontario, Canada. It has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Southwestern Ontario.

Sun Media Corporation was the owner of several tabloid and broadsheet newspapers in Canada and the 49 percent owner of the now defunct Sun News Network. It was a subsidiary of Quebecor Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torstar</span> Canadian mass media company

Torstar Corporation is a Canadian mass media company which primarily publishes daily and community newspapers. In addition to the Toronto Star, its flagship and namesake, Torstar also publishes daily newspapers in Hamilton, Peterborough, Niagara Region, and Waterloo Region. The corporation was initially established in 1958 to take over operations of the Star from the Atkinson Foundation after a provincial law banned charitable organizations from owning for-profit entities. From 1958 to 2020, the class A shares of Torstar were held by the families of the original Atkinson Foundation trustees. The private investment firm NordStar Capital LP, owned by Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett, officially acquired Torstar on August 5, 2020.

<i>Waterloo Region Record</i> Daily newspaper in Waterloo Region, Canada

The Waterloo Region Record is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the Record has been published by Metroland Media Group, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. On May 26, 2020, Torstar, agreed to be acquired by NordStar Capital, a private investment firm; the deal was expected to close by year end.

The Chronicle Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada owned by SaltWire Network of Halifax.

<i>Portland Tribune</i> Newspaper published in Portland, Oregon

The Portland Tribune is a free weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Portland, Oregon, United States.

<i>The Peterborough Examiner</i>

The Peterborough Examiner is a newspaper that services Peterborough, Ontario and area. The paper started circulation in 1847, and is currently owned by Torstar and operated by its Metroland division. Between 1942 and 1955, it was edited by Canadian man of letters Robertson Davies, whose unique three-paragraph editorial style won several awards. Davies remained owner and publisher of the Examiner and Ralph Hancox the editor until 1967, when it was sold to the Thomson chain of newspapers. Subsequently, Sterling, Hollinger and Sun Media owned the newspaper before Postmedia.

<i>St. Catharines Standard</i>

The St. Catharines Standard is a daily newspaper of the city of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. As of May 2020, the publication was owned by Torstar but on May 26, 2020, the company agreed to be acquired by NordStar Capital, a private investment firm. The deal was expected to close prior to year end.

<i>The Hamilton Spectator</i> Canadian daily newspaper

The Hamilton Spectator, founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation,The Hamilton Spectator is owned by Torstar.

Metroland Media Group is a Canadian mass media publisher and distributor which primarily operates in Southern Ontario. A division of the publishing conglomerate Torstar Corporation, Metroland publishes more than 70 local community newspapers–including six dailies–and many magazines. Metroland has a substantial market presence in its geographic area, but has considerable competition from other large media and publishing organisations. In addition to printing most of its own publications, Metroland operates as a commercial printer of flyers and magazines.

Torstar Syndication Services is an operating division of Star Media Group led by the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper.

<i>Cambridge Times</i>

The Cambridge Times is a local newspaper in Southern Ontario, Canada, serving the community of Cambridge. It replaced the Cambridge Reporter as the local paper in 2003, when the latter was closed by its publisher. The Times is published by the Metroland Media Group and owned by the Torstar Corporation.

The following is a list of media outlets for Hamilton, Ontario:

<i>Niagara Falls Review</i>

The Niagara Falls Review is a daily newspaper distributed in Niagara Falls and also serving the nearby towns of Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake area in Ontario, Canada. The paper is owned by Metroland Media Group, a subsidiary of Torstar. In late May 2020, Torstar accepted an offer for the sale of all of its assets to Nordstar Capital, a deal expected to close by year end.

The Barrie Examiner was a daily newspaper published in Barrie, Ontario from 1864 to 2017.

<i>Guelph Mercury Tribune</i>

The Guelph Mercury Tribune, formerly known as the Royal Tribune and the Guelph Tribune, is a twice-weekly newspaper serving the city of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

<i>Stouffville Sun-Tribune</i>

The Stouffville Sun-Tribune is a local, weekly newspaper covering Stouffville, Ontario. It has a circulation of 14,000.

<i>Welland Tribune</i> Canadian daily newspaper

The Welland Tribune is a daily newspaper that services Welland, Ontario and surrounding area. The Tribune was one of several Postmedia Network newspapers purchased by Torstar in a transaction between the two companies which concluded on November 27, 2017. The paper continues to be published by the Metroland Media Group subsidiary of Torstar. In late May 2020, Torstar accepted an offer for the sale of all of its assets to Nordstar Capital in late May 2020, a deal expected to close by year end.

The Northumberland News is a local newspaper that serves Northumberland County, Ontario. It includes the town of Cobourg, the municipality of Port Hope, and the townships of Alnwick/Haldimand, Cramahe and Hamilton. It was founded in 1991 and is owned by Metroland Media Group a subsidiary of Torstar. The headquarters are in Cobourg, Ontario. It publishes every Thursday with a circulation of 22,800. In addition to its print publication, it also maintains an online presence with a website, a Twitter account, a Youtube account and a Facebook page.

References

  1. ↑ Canadian Circulations Audit Board Circulation Report for the year ending December 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2012. (registration required)
  2. ↑ Grant, Amanda (January 25, 2016). "Guelph Mercury stops publishing print edition, all staff cut". CBC News. CBC/Radio Canada. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  3. ↑ "GuelphMercury.com - BreakingNews - Torstar's Mercury, Spectator, Record announce layoffs". Archived from the original on 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  4. ↑ "Guelph Mercury newspaper to close amid financial pressures". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Grant, Amanda (January 25, 2016). "Guelph Mercury stops publishing print edition, all staff cut". CBC News. CBC/Radio Canada. Retrieved January 26, 2016. Luelo said the Mercury will continue to have a web presence, but that it's too early to say where that content will come from.
  6. ↑ The Canadian Press (January 25, 2016). "Guelph Mercury quits print editions". Guelph Mercury. Metroland Media Group. Retrieved January 26, 2016. A regional digital team would continue to put out a web version.
  7. ↑ "Welcome to the new Guelph Mercury Tribune!".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.