Times Colonist

Last updated

Times Colonist
Times Colonist Logo.svg
TypeDaily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s)TC Publication Limited Partnership (Glacier Media)
PublisherDave Obee
EditorDave Obee
Founded1884/1858/1980
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters201-655 Tyee Road
Victoria, British Columbia
V9A 6X5
Circulation less than 35,000 weekdays
less than 35,000 Saturday
less than 35,000 Sundays in 2018 [1]
ISSN 0839-427X
Website www.timescolonist.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Times Colonist is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Contents

It was formed by the September 2, 1980 merger [2] of the Victoria Daily Times, established in 1884, and the British Colonist (later the Daily Colonist), established in 1858 by Amor De Cosmos who was later British Columbia's second Premier. The British Colonist was B.C.'s first paper "of any permanence". [3] De Cosmos was the editor until 1866 when D.W. Higgins took over—he would remain in the role for the next twenty years. [4]

Local news receives the greatest prominence in the Times Colonist. Stories and photographs about Greater Victoria are often featured on the front page. The newspaper also has national and international stories, plus sections covering the arts, sports, and business. The Times Colonist has a website as well as an e-edition, which offers a digital replica of the printed pages. [5]

According to News Media Canada, the Times Colonist saw an average daily circulation of 58,297 in 2015. [6] From 2016 to present, the average press run was below 31,000 copies daily. [6] The Times Colonist is published six days a week (Tuesday to Sunday) and is sold by subscription or at newsstands. [7]

History

On August 2, 1980, The Daily Colonist newspaper front page proclaimed "Merger pains lead to birth of new daily". [8] Victoria Press Ltd., which produced both the Daily Colonist and the Victoria Times, could no longer sustain both competing newspapers without making significant financial cuts, Vice-President Colin McCullough wrote in a statement. [8] Instead, both papers would fold, in what the paper called "the demise of two of Canada's oldest newspapers". [8] The newly-formed Times-Colonist newspaper would be delivered twice-daily and subscriptions would continue to cost 5 dollars a month, although the newsstand price of the Saturday paper would rise from 5 to 35 cents. [8]

The merger resulted in layoffs — 53 full-time and eight part-time employees were let go, [8] resulting in challenges from union representatives and fired staffers. [2]

The first edition of the Times Colonist was published Sept. 2, 1980. [9] In 1983, the newspaper stopped printing both a morning and afternoon edition and moved to daily morning publication. [9]

A two-storey Victoria Press Building had been constructed on Douglas Street in 1971, replacing smaller offices built on the same street in 1951. [10] The Victoria Press Building remained the headquarters of the Times Colonist after the 1980 merger and up until the building's sale in 2017. [11] The Victoria Heritage Society has deemed the building architecturally notable for its "characteristics of the Late Modern style including its pre-cast concrete panels, exposed aggregate stucco cladding [...] and its full-height central entryway with rounded pre-cast concrete walls." [10]

In 1998, Southam Newspapers bought the Times Colonist. [9] Two years later, it was sold again to CanWest Publications. [9] On July 13, 2010, the Postmedia Network acquired CanWest Publications and all of its assets, including the Times Colonist. [12] [13]

On October 18, 2011, the Postmedia Network announced it would sell the Times Colonist, Nanaimo Daily News and Alberni Valley Times , as well as 20 weekly and bi-weekly community papers, to Glacier Media for $86.5 million. [14] [15]

In 2017, the Victoria Press Building was sold to Merchant House Capital. [11] In 2018, the newspaper announced it would no longer print its own paper, allowing staff to focus on the content and distribution of the newspaper. [16] Since Oct. 1, 2018, the newspaper has been printed by Black Press in Ladysmith. [17] The newspaper offices were moved in 2020 to Upper Harbour Place, a mixed-used residential and office building on Tyee Road in Victoria West. [18]

In June 2019, it was announced the first 122 years of the British Colonist (later, the Daily Colonist) would be available online, with free access, through the efforts of the Times Colonist, the University of Victoria and other funding partners. [19] The digitized newspaper collection is reported to be one of the most popular database on the university's website. [19]

On May 28, 2022, the Times Colonist reported its former building would reopen that summer—new tenants include a brewery and commercial kitchen space. [20] The newspaper will not be returning to the building as a tenant when it reopens. [21]

Circulation

The Times Colonist has seen a decline in print circulation in the last decade. Its total circulation dropped by 10 percent to 58,297 copies daily from 2009 to 2015. [6] From 2016 to 2021, the average press run was below 31,000 copies daily. Since 2021 that number has dropped below 25,000 copies daily. [6]

Daily average [22]
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

See also

Related Research Articles

The Vancouver Sun, also known as the Sun, is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the largest newspaper in western Canada by circulation. Since 2022, it is published five days a week from Tuesday to Saturday.

<i>The Province</i> Canadian daily newspaper in British Columbia

The Province is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the Vancouver Sun broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's only two major newspapers.

<i>National Post</i> Canadian national daily newspaper

The National Post is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only. The newspaper is distributed in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Weekend editions of the newspaper are also distributed in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

<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.

<i>Toronto Sun</i> Canadian tabloid newspaper published in Toronto

The Toronto Sun is an English-language tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several Sun tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Postmedia Place in downtown Toronto.

<i>Windsor Star</i> English-language daily newspaper in Ontario, Canada

The Windsor Star is a daily newspaper based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Postmedia Network, it is published Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Postmedia News is a national news agency with correspondents in Canada, Europe, and the United States and is part of the Canadian newspaper chain owned by Postmedia Network Inc.

<i>Regina Leader-Post</i> Newspaper published in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

The Regina Leader-Post is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and a member of the Postmedia Network.

<i>Ottawa Citizen</i> English-language daily newspaper in Ottawa, Canada

The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

<i>Winnipeg Sun</i> Daily newspaper in Winnipeg, Canada

The Winnipeg Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

<i>Calgary Herald</i> Daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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.

<i>Edmonton Journal</i> Daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network.

<i>The StarPhoenix</i> Newspaper published in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

The StarPhoenix is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. It has been referred to as a "sister newspaper" to the Leader-Post. The StarPhoenix puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, Bridges. It is also part of the canada.com web portal.

<i>The Kingston Whig-Standard</i> Canadian newspaper

The Kingston Whig-Standard is a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is published four days a week, on Tuesday and Thursday to Saturday. It publishes a mix of community, national and international news and is currently owned by 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 Gazette</i> (Montreal) English-language newspaper in Montreal, Canada

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.

<i>The Sault Star</i> Canadian newspaper

The Sault Star is a Canadian broadsheet daily newspaper based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It is owned by Postmedia.

Postmedia Network Canada Corp. is a foreign-owned Canadian-based media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in English-language newspaper publishing, news gathering and Internet operations. It is best known for being the owner of the National Post and the Financial Post. The company is headquartered at Postmedia Place on Bloor Street in Toronto.

The Alberni Valley News is a weekly newspaper in Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It publishes Wednesday and is owned by Black Press.

The Nanaimo Daily News was a Canadian daily newspaper published weekdays in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia for 141 years until ceasing publication in January 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "2015 Daily Newspaper Circulation Spreadsheet (Excel)". News Media Canada. Retrieved December 16, 2017. Numbers are based on the total circulation (print plus digital editions).
  2. 1 2 "Stereotypers opposing layoffs". The Daily Colonist. August 15, 1980. p. 13. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ Hopkins, J. Castell (1898). An historical sketch of Canadian literature and journalism. Toronto: Lincott. p. 221. ISBN   0665080484.
  4. ↑ Hopkins, J. Castell (1898). An historical sketch of Canadian literature and journalism. Toronto: Lincott. p. 232. ISBN   0665080484.
  5. ↑ "Times Colonist E-edition". digitaltimescolonist.pressreader.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Daily Newspaper Circulation Data". News Media Canada. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  7. ↑ "About Victoria Times Colonist". Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Merger pains lead to birth of new daily". The Daily Colonist. August 2, 1980. p. 45. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "160 years of news: From the British Colonist to today's Times Colonist". Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  10. 1 2 "2621 Douglas St". www.victoriaheritagefoundation.ca. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Times Colonist building sold". Victoria News. June 16, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Postmedia Network Canada Corp. completes acquisition of Canwest Publishing print and online assets | Postmedia". www.postmedia.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Postmedia Network acquires Canwest's newspaper division". CTVNews. July 14, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Postmedia Network Announces Sale of the Times Colonist in Victoria and British Columbia-Based Community Newspapers | Postmedia". www.postmedia.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Victoria Times Colonist sold to B.C. company". CBC News. October 18, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Times Colonist newspaper to close printing press and lay off 18 employees". CHEK. July 9, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Black Press to begin printing Victoria's Times Colonist newspaper". Ladysmith Chronicle. August 22, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Victoria Times Colonist - Contact Us". Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  19. 1 2 Watts, Richard (June 9, 2019). "12-year project complete: Online newspaper archive covers Victoria's history". Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  20. ↑ "City green-lights brewing and baking at renovated former Times Colonist building". Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Tenants expected to move in next year at renovated former Times Colonist building". Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Daily Newspaper Circulation Data". News Media Canada. Retrieved December 16, 2017. Figures refer to the total circulation (print and digital combined) which includes paid and unpaid copies.
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.