Black Press Group Ltd.

Black Press Group Ltd. is a Canadian publisher of prominent daily newspapers in Hawaii and Alaska and numerous non-daily newspapers in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, and (via Sound Publishing) the U.S. state of Washington.

Black Press Media is headquartered in Surrey, British Columbia, and has regional offices in Victoria, Williams Lake, and Kelowna.

The company was founded and is majority owned by David Holmes Black, who has no relation to Canadian-born media mogul Conrad Black. The company is 20% owned by Torstar, publisher of the ''Toronto Star'', and David Black's former employer.

History

After working as a junior business analyst for the ''Toronto Star'', Black purchased the ''Williams Lake Tribune'' of Williams Lake, British Columbia, from his father, Alan, in 1975. He bought a family-run newspaper in nearby Ashcroft in 1979, and his holdings expanded "exponentially" in the ensuing years.

Though Black Press has focused its acquisitions mainly on building a province-wide network of community newspapers in British Columbia, and a similar operation (called Sound Publishing) across the border in Washington, the company has also invested in individual marquee daily products. In 2000, Black purchased the ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' of Hawaii (later merged with the competing '' Honolulu Advertiser'', which Black bought in 2010). In 2006, the company acquired the ''Akron Beacon Journal'', the former Knight Ridder flagship in Northeast Ohio.

On June 27, 2007, Black Press announced a $405 million takeover offer for Osprey Media, putting it in competition with Quebecor Media for Osprey's assets. Quebecor put in a higher bid and won ownership of Osprey. it owned about 150 newspapers.

In 2011, David Black was one of several newspaper industry veterans who joined together as investors in the San Francisco Newspaper Company to buy the former Hearst flagship '' The San Francisco Examiner'', now a free daily newspaper. Although the transaction had been reported as a purchase for Black Press, David Black participated as a private investor and holds his shares in the ''Examiner'' separately from Black Press.

In 2013 Black Press and Glacier Media Inc. exchanged four community newspapers in British Columbia. That led to the closure of Abbotsford Times. In 2014, Black Press negotiated deals with Glacier Media Inc. to take effect in March 2015 that would exchange a dozen British Columbia newspapers that consolidated ownership of competing community papers on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. Black Press obtained Harbour City Star, Nanaimo Daily News, Cowichan Citizen, Parksville Oceanside Star, Tofino/Ucluelet Westerly News, Comox Valley Echo, Campbell River Courier, Surrey Now and Langley Advance.

In 2018, Black Press sold the ''Akron Beacon Journal'' to GateHouse Media and acquired the '' Juneau Empire'' and two other papers in Alaska from GateHouse.

In March 2021, Black Press purchased Northern News Services Limited of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, which publishes five newspapers in the Northwest Territories and two in Nunavut.

Daily newspapers

Black Press owns two major metropolitan daily newspapers in the United States, and several dailies as part of its community newspaper chains in the Canadian and U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Major dailies

* '' Honolulu Star-Advertiser'' (Honolulu, Hawaii)
* '' The Herald'' ( Everett, Washington)

Community dailies

* '' Cranbrook Daily Townsman'' of Cranbrook, British Columbia: part of BC Interior Division
* ''Kimberley Daily Bulletin'' of Kimberley, British Columbia: part of BC Interior Division
* ''Peninsula Daily News'' of Port Angeles, Washington: part of Sound Publishing
* ''Red Deer Advocate'' of Red Deer, Alberta: flagship of the Prairie Division
* ''Trail Daily Times'' of Trail, British Columbia: part of BC Interior Division
* ''The Garden Island'' of Lihue, Hawaii: part O'ahu Publications Incorporated
* ''Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News'', British Columbia

Defunct dailies

* '' Honolulu Advertiser'': purchased February 2010, merged four months later into ''Star-Advertiser''
* ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'': purchased 2001, merged with ''Advertiser'' in 2010
* '' King County Journal'' of Kent, Washington: purchased November 2006, closed two months later
* ''Nelson Daily News'' of Nelson, British Columbia: purchased July 2010, closed two weeks later
* ''Prince Rupert Daily News'' of Prince Rupert, British Columbia: purchased July 2010, closed two weeks later

Community newspapers

Black Press is the largest publisher of newspapers in British Columbia and in Washington state. It also owns several weeklies associated with its daily properties in Alberta and Hawaii.

Alberta

Black Press owns the daily ''Red Deer Advocate'' and several neighboring weekly newspapers in Central Alberta, in addition to various local tourism and lifestyle publications. Newspapers in Black's Prairie Division are:

* ''Bashaw Star''
* ''Castor Advance''
* ''Eckville Echo''

* ''Ponoka News''
* ''Red Deer Advocate''
* ''Red Deer Express''

* ''Rimbey Review''
* ''Stettler Independent''
* ''Sylvan Lake News''

British Columbia

Black's original acquisitions form the core of the 320,552-circulation BC Interior Division, whose holdings extend 1,360 km from Trail near the Washington border to Smithers near the southern tip of Alaska. The wine country publications ''Grapes to Wine'' and ''Wine Trails'' are also part of this group. Following is a list of the group's community newspapers, most of which are biweekly, weekly, semiweekly or thrice-weekly, although the group also includes three small daily newspapers in Trail, Cranbrook and Kimberley:

* ''100 Mile House Free Press''
* ''Arrow Lakes News''
* ''Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal''
* ''Barriere Star Journal''
* ''Boundary Creek Times''
* ''Burns Lake Lakes District News''
* ''Caledonia Courier''
* ''Cariboo Advisor''
* ''Castlegar News''
* ''Clearwater Times''
* ''Coast Mountain News''
* '' Cranbrook Daily Townsman''
* ''Creston Valley Advance''
* ''Eagle Valley News''
* ''The Free Press''
* ''Golden Star''

* ''Grand Forks Gazette''
* ''Houston Today''
* ''Invermere Valley Echo''
* ''Kamloops This Week''
* ''Kelowna Capital News''
* ''Keremeos Review''
* ''Kimberley Daily Bulletin''
* ''Kitimat Northern Sentinel''
* ''Kootenay News Advertiser''
* ''Lake Country Calendar''
* ''Lakeshore News''
* ''Merritt Herald''
* ''Nelson Star''
* ''The North Delta Reporter''
* ''The Northern View''
* ''Penticton Western News''

* ''Prince George Free Press''
* ''Quesnel Cariboo Observer''
* ''Revelstoke Times Review''
* ''Rossland News''
* ''Salmon Arm Observer''
* ''Similkameen Spotlight''
* ''Smithers Interior News''
* ''Summerland Review''
* ''Terrace Standard''
* ''Trail Daily Times''
* ''The Valley''
* ''Vanderhoof Omineca Express''
* ''Vernon Morning Star''
* ''West Kootenay Advertiser''
* ''Williams Lake Tribune''

Publications in Black's BC Lower Mainland Division circulate a total of 568,200 copies per week in the Vancouver area. This group includes the ''Chilliwack Progress'', founded in 1891, which claims to be the oldest Canadian community newspaper continuously published under the same name. The group includes the lifestyle and real estate publications ''Indulge Magazine'', ''New Home Living'', ''New Local Home'', ''North Shore Real Estate'', and the following community newspapers:

* ''Abbotsford News''
* ''Agassiz Harrison Observer''
* '' Aldergrove Star''
* '' Bowen Island Undercurrent''
* ''Chilliwack Progress''
* ''Chilliwack Times''
* ''Cloverdale Reporter''

* ''Hope Standard''
* ''Langley Times''
* ''Langley Advance''
* ''Maple Ridge Times''
* ''Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News''
* ''Mission City Record''
* ''North Shore Outlook''

* ''Outlook North Vancouver''
* ''Outlook West Vancouver''
* ''Peace Arch News''
* ''Richmond Review''
* '' Surrey Now News-Leader''

The BC Vancouver Island Division includes the entertainment weekly ''Where Magazine'' and ''Real Estate Victoria'', both covering Victoria, British Columbia and vicinity, and the following community newspapers (including the daily ''Alberni Valley Times'', the '' Cowichan News Leader Pictorial'', and the ''Nanaimo Daily News,'' the first two of which were closed in 2015 followed by closure of the ''Nanaimo Daily News'' in 2016):

* ''Alberni Valley News''
* ''Alberni Valley Times''
* ''Campbell River Mirror''
* ''Comox Valley Record''
* ''Cowichan News Leader Pictorial''
* ''Cowichan Valley Citizen''
* ''Goldstream News Gazette''
* ''Gulf Islands Driftwood''

* ''Ladysmith Chronicle''
* ''Lake Cowichan Gazette''
* ''Monday Magazine''
* ''Nanaimo Daily News''
* ''Nanaimo News Bulletin''
* ''North Island Gazette''

* ''Oak Bay News''
* ''Parksville Qualicum Beach News''
* ''Peninsula News Review''
* ''Saanich News''
* ''Sooke News Mirror''
* ''Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News''
* ''Victoria News''

Hawaii and California

In addition to the '' Honolulu Star-Advertiser'', the largest daily newspaper in Hawaii, Black Press' subsidiary Oahu Publications Inc. also community newspapers, the entertainment weekly '' MidWeek'', ''HILuxury'' magazine, and prints military newspapers for U.S. bases in Hawaii. Oahu Publications Inc. took full ownership of the San Francisco Media Company in 2014.

*''The Garden Island''
*''Hawaii Army Weekly''
*''Hawaii Marine''
*'' Hawaii Tribune-Herald''
*''Ho‘okele – Pearl Harbor-Hickam News''
*'' Honolulu Star-Advertiser''
*'' MidWeek''
*'' The San Francisco Examiner''
*'' SF Weekly''
*'' West Hawaii Today''

Washington and Alaska

Sound Publishing Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press, is based in Everett, Washington and is the largest community news publisher by circulation in the state of Washington. The company's holdings include four daily newspapers, '' The Herald'', the ''Peninsula Daily News'', '' The Daily World'' and the '' Tacoma Daily Index'' government listings publication. All of Sound Publishing's products are printed at a central press plant in Everett, Washington. Sound Publishing acquired three newspapers in Alaska in 2018. Community newspapers owned by Sound Publishing are:

King County and Pierce County
* ''Auburn Reporter''
* ''Bellevue Reporter''
* ''Bothell/Kenmore Reporter''
* ''Enumclaw Courier-Herald''
* ''Covington, Maple Valley & Black Diamond Reporter''
* ''Eastside Scene Magazine''
* ''Federal Way Mirror''
* '' Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter''
* ''Kent Reporter''
* ''Kirkland Reporter''
* ''Mercer Island Reporter''
* ''Redmond Reporter''
* ''Renton Reporter''
* '' Seattle Weekly''
* ''Snoqualmie Valley Record''
* ''Tukwila Reporter''
* '' Tacoma Daily Index''
* ''Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber''

Grays Harbor County
* '' The ''(Aberdeen)'' Daily World''
* ''North Coast News''
* ''South Beach Bulletin''

Okanogan County
* ''Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune''

Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas
* '' Bainbridge Island Review''
* ''Central Kitsap Reporter''
* ''Kingston Community News''
* ''Kitsap Weekly''
* ''North Kitsap Herald''
* ''Port Orchard Independent''
* '' Forks Forum''
* ''Peninsula Daily News''
* ''Sequim Gazette''

San Juan Islands
* ''Islands' Sounder''
* '' Islands' Weekly''
* '' Journal of the San Juan Islands''

Snohomish County
* ''The Arlington Times''
* ''The'' (Everett) ''Herald''
* ''Marysville Globe''

Whidbey Island
* ''South Whidbey Record''
* ''Whidbey Crosswind''
* ''Whidbey Examiner''
* '' Whidbey News-Times''

Alaska
* ''Capital City Weekly''
* '' Homer News''
* '' Juneau Empire''
* '' Peninsula Clarion''

Online classifieds

Used.ca

In 2007 the Black Press purchased Used.ca a Canadian online classified website with popular sites in Victoria, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, and Ottawa, Ontario.

Controversies

Nisga'a Treaty editorials

In 1998, company owner David Black instructed his British Columbia papers to publish a series of editorials opposing the Nisga'a Treaty, which was the first modern treaty in B.C. history, and not to publish editorials in favour of the treaty.

In January 1999, the NDP government filed a complaint to the B.C. Press Council against Black Press, arguing that its policy breached its duty to act in the public interest and violated the council's constitution. Black Press said that news coverage was not affected and editors were free to publish their opinions on their letters page.

The Press Council sided with Black Press based on finding that its newspapers "did in fact carry a diversity of opinion on the Nisga'a Treaty, including those of Premier Glen Clark, Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell, Reform Party President Bill Vander Zalm as well as those of ordinary British Columbians".

Advertiser concerns

In August 2007, a story in the ''Victoria News'' sparked a complaint from an advertiser and led to the firing/resignation of three senior Black Press employees.
''Victoria News'' reporter Brennan Clarke quit the publication after a story he wrote about buying cheaper cars in the United States led to a complaint from Victoria car dealership Dave Wheaton Pontiac Buick GMC. Black Press claimed the article was not balanced, and said that reporters and editors should not purposely jeopardize advertising revenue with their stories, because that revenue pays their salaries. The company also fired the ''Victoria News'' long-time editor, Keith Norbury, in part because of the complaint, and Black Press's Vancouver Island Newsgroup regional editor, Brian Lepine, resigned in protest.

The Canadian Association of Journalists publicly questioned the credibility and independence of the ''Victoria News'', wondering how many stories Black Press kills behind the scenes because of advertising concerns.Public Eye Online – A question of credibility
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See also

* List of newspapers in Canada

References

External links

*

Sound Publishing
- Black Press subsidiary in Washington state

{{Black Press

Newspaper companies of Canada
Companies based in Surrey, British Columbia
Publishing companies established in 1975
1975 establishments in British Columbia
Canadian companies established in 1975