Times Colonist

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Not to be confused by the similarly named newspaper owned by Samuel Thompson in Toronto the 1850s

Times Colonist
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
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
Circulationless than 35,000 weekdays
less than 35,000 Saturday
less than 35,000 Sundays in 2018[1]
ISSN0839-427X
Websitewww.timescolonist.com Edit this at Wikidata

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

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

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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c d "Daily Newspaper Circulation Data". News Media Canada. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  7. ^ "About Victoria Times Colonist". Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Merger pains lead to birth of new daily". The Daily Colonist. August 2, 1980. p. 45. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d "160 years of news: From the British Colonist to today's Times Colonist". Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "2621 Douglas St". www.victoriaheritagefoundation.ca. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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.
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