Vermont Times

Last updated
Vermont Times
TypeWeekly newspaper
Founded1990;34 years ago (1990)
Headquarters Shelburne, Vermont
OCLC number 38845878

Vermont Times was a weekly newspaper based in Shelburne, Vermont. It ran from 1990 until 2007, and merged with the Addison Eagle in March 2009. It was owned by New Market Press, Inc. [1]

The paper covered the town of Shelburne in Chittenden County, Vermont. It also went by the name of Burlington Vermont Times. The paper merged with South County Sentinel to form Vermont Times Sentinel. [2] Vermont Times merged with the Addison Eagle in 2009. [3]

History

Vermont Times published the first issue of its weekly paper in late September 1990. [4] It was started by Suzanne Gillis, who began Vermont Times's free distribution along with co-publisher Nat Winthrop after Gillis's Vermont Woman monthly was discontinued in July. While Gillis assumed the position of publisher, Winthrop—also then publisher of The Vanguard—served as chief operating officer. [5] Additionally, Neil Arthur—advertising sales manager of 18 weekly Ohio publications—became the businesses executive vice president. The business was named NSN Enterprises. A prospectus released in March 1990 predicted that Vermont Times would be distributed free to 47,000 households in Chittenden County. [5]

The weekly publication immediately felt the impact of recession, responding by cutting its initial operating costs by 20 percent and laying off two part-time employees. The Burlington Free Press covered the story in February 1991, explaining that Gillis and Winthrop were expecting a difficult economy when making plans for their publication, but not to the extent that presented itself. [4]

In July 1995, shortly after making an unsuccessful attempt to sell the paper at 50 cents a piece, Vermont Times was sold to a New York firm. [6] Edward Coats became the new owner of the paper along with another Vermont paper, Vox. Coats stated that he planned to continue the paper and that he was not intending on laying anyone working for the paper off. [6] Out of the 15 people that were working for the paper, about half left right as Coats took over. "There were some good people who left, I'll be the first to admit it, and some who could have certainly helped us in the short term but for whatever reason didn't want to work for us," Coats recalled, stating "they thought we were the bad guys." [7] Once he bought the paper, Coats focused on decreasing expenses. According to him, the former owners were spending more than they were making. Coats trimmed circulation. He also worked to switch it over from being a columnist paper to a community paper. He assigned the position of editor to Rosalyn Graham and general manager to Tom Schmidt. [7]

In March 2000, Coats was still discussing his desire to shift the image of Vermont Times to that of a community paper. [8] In The Burlington Free Press, he is quoted saying "Somehow we've always been pigeonholed into people telling us we're an alternative paper, and we're not; we're a community paper." Shay Totten, who was fired from the Times in February 2000, is quoted in the same article saying that Vermont Times is nowhere near alternative, and that its issues and stories are important and relevant to the community. [8]

Vermont Times merged with Addison Eagle in 2009. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chittenden County, Vermont</span> County in Vermont, United States

Chittenden County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, its population was 168,323. The county seat is Vermont's most populous municipality, the city of Burlington. The county has over a quarter of Vermont's population and more than twice the population of Vermont's second-most populous county, Rutland. The county also has more than twice the population density of Vermont's second-most dense county, Washington. The county is named for Vermont's first governor and one of the framers of its constitution as an independent republic and later U.S. state, Thomas Chittenden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Charlotte is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Queen Charlotte, though unlike Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlottesville, Virginia, and other cities and towns that bear her name, the town's name is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable. The population of the town was 3,912 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelburne, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Shelburne is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne's town center lies approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of the city center of Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population of Shelburne was 7,717.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Burlington, Vermont</span> City in Chittenden County, Vermont

South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292, making it the second largest city in Vermont. It is home to the headquarters of Ben & Jerry's and the state of Vermont's largest mall, the University Mall.

<i>Seven Days</i> (newspaper) Newspaper in Burlington, Vermont

Seven Days is an alternative weekly newspaper that is distributed every Wednesday in Vermont. The American Newspapers Representatives estimate Seven Days' circulation to be 35,000 papers. It is distributed free of charge throughout Burlington, Middlebury, Montpelier, Stowe, the Mad River Valley, Rutland, St. Albans, and Plattsburgh, New York.

The Burlington Free Press is a digital and print community news organization based in Burlington, Vermont, and owned by Gannett. It is one of the official "newspapers of record" for the State of Vermont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area</span> Combined Statistical Area in Vermont, United States

The Burlington metropolitan area is a metropolitan area consisting of the three Vermont counties of Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle. The metro area is anchored by the principal cities of Burlington, South Burlington, St. Albans, Winooski, and Essex Junction; and the towns of Colchester, Essex and Milton. According to 2020 U.S. Census, the metro area had a population of 225,562, approximately one third of Vermont's total population.

<i>Addison County Independent</i>

The Addison County Independent is a weekly newspaper located in Middlebury, VT that covers Addison County. The paper was founded in 1946 as the Addison Independent and is now owned and published by Angelo Lynn. The paper is a member of the New England Newspapers and Press Association, and in 2016, the paper won the award of first place for general excellence in its class from the association. The paper is published weekly on Thursdays.

The Valley Voice was a weekly Vermont newspaper based out of Middlebury, VT and was published on Tuesdays from 1974 to 2018. With a circulation of 12,450 the Valley Voice provided local news for the towns of Addison County. The paper was founded in 1974 by John and Betty White when they relocated from New York to Vermont. The first editor of the paper was David Moats.

The Franklin County Courier is a weekly newspaper in Enosburg Falls, Vermont USA which is released on Thursdays. It is more often referred to as the County Courier. The County Courier, which has an estimated circulation of 4,100, serves Franklin County as well as the communities of Alburgh, Jeffersonville, Waterville, and Belvidere, Vermont.

<i>Vermont Eagle</i> Weekly newspaper in Middlebury, Vermont

The Vermont Eagle is a weekly newspaper based in Middlebury, VT, that serves Addison, southern Chittenden, and northern Rutland counties. The paper is published on Saturdays and has a circulation of 14,464.

The Green Mountain Outlook was a weekly newspaper in Rutland, Vermont. When the paper was launched, it had an initial weekly circulation of approximately 20,000. The newspaper was owned by Denton Publications, Inc. and published by New Market Press. In 2016, the Green Mountain Outlook merged into the Vermont Eagle.

The Shelburne News is an American newspaper serving the town of Shelburne, Vermont. The paper has a circulation of 4,500-5,000. It is a free, weekly paper published on Thursdays. The paper is owned by the Vermont Community Newspaper Group.

The Stowe Reporter is a newspaper based in the US state of Vermont that is published once a week on Thursdays. It serves greater the Mt. Mansfield area, including Stowe, Waterbury, Morrisville, Hyde Park, and across Lamoille County, Vermont.

Williston Observer is a weekly newspaper based in Williston, Vermont covering Willston and surrounding communities in Chittenden County. The newspaper is published every Thursday and the circulation is estimated to be around 5,000. This paper is owned by Chittenden County Suburban Newspapers.

The Vermont Standard is the oldest continuously-published weekly newspaper in the U.S State of Vermont. It is based in Woodstock, Vermont. The newspaper was founded in 1853 and covers local sports, business and community events serving the town of Woodstock and the surrounding communities of Windsor County. The Vermont Standard began as an anti-alcohol publication known as the Vermont Temperance Standard. It is now owned by Phillip Camp Sr. who began working for the Standard in 1952 while still in high school. The Vermont Standard has a weekly paid circulation of 5,200 copies.

Vermont Woman, a monthly newspaper, was published in South Hero, Vermont. Its circulation was 10,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermont Community Newspaper Group</span> Media company and publisher of five weekly newspapers in Vermont

The Vermont Community Newspaper Group is a media company and publisher of five weekly newspapers and multiple magazines in the U.S. state of Vermont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzanne Gillis</span> American publisher

Suzanne Gillis (Sue) is an American publisher and founder of four publications, Vermont Woman 1985, Vermont Times 1990, Provincetown Banner 1995, and Vermont Woman 2003. Gillis was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina and is a 1962 graduate of Torrington High School, Torrington, Ct, and the University of Vermont (BA Political Science 1981.) Gillis is a long time resident of Vermont.

References

  1. "Vermont Times". mondotimes. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  2. "About Vermont times". Chronicling America. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  3. 1 2 "Vermont Times newspaper - MondoTimes.com". www.mondotimes.com. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  4. 1 2 "Vermont Times cuts costs; lays off two part-timers - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  5. 1 2 "Vermont Woman prints last issue - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  6. 1 2 "Vermont Times sold to N.Y. firm - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  7. 1 2 "Business People-Vermont: New Market Press". www.vermontguides.com. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  8. 1 2 "Vt. Times adopts 'business-friendly' format - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-26.