David Holmes Black (born April 9, 1946), is a Canadian
media proprietor
A media proprietor, media mogul or media tycoon refers to a entrepreneur who controls, through personal ownership or via a dominant position in any media-related company or enterprise, media consumed by many individuals. Those with significant co ...
who founded and is the majority owner of
Black Press Group Ltd. He serves as the company's Chairman, and previously served as its Chief Executive Officer and President.
Black has served as President of the British Columbia and Yukon Community Newspaper Association, a director of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, a Governor of the
Canadian Newspaper Association
The Canadian Newspapers Association (CNA) was a national trade association for newspaper publishers in Canada from 1996 to 2016. It represented the publishers of over 100 Canadian daily newspapers published in both English and French. The CNA admi ...
, and as a Director of the
American Press Institute
The American Press Institute is an educational non-advocacy 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization affiliated with the News Media Alliance (formerly the Newspaper Association of America). The institute's mission is to encourage the advancement of news m ...
.
Black was inducted the Business Laureates of British Columbia Hall of Fame in 2009.
As of 2022, Black Press and its subsidiaries own more than 170 titles throughout western Canada and the United States.
Early life and education
Black was born in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
to Alan and Adelaide Black. He graduated from the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
with a degree in civil engineering.
He then obtained his MBA at the
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...
.
After school, he briefly worked for Crown Life Insurance
in the early '70s.
In 1973, Black was hired to work as a junior business analyst
in the acquisitions department
at
Torstar
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, Ni ...
, which publishes the ''
Toronto Star
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 ...
'' newspaper.
Black Press
In 1975, Black purchased the ''Williams Lake Tribune'' of
Williams Lake, British Columbia
Williams Lake is a city in the Central Interior of British Columbia, in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo. Williams Lake is the second largest city, by population of metropolitan area, in the Cariboo after neighbouring Quesnel. ...
for $60,000.
The paper had previously been owned since 1969 by his father Alan Black and the paper's publisher Clive Stangoe.
Black operated the ''Tribune'' exclusively for four years until purchasing the husband-and-wife owned ''Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal'' in nearby
Ashcroft Ashcroft may refer to:
Places
* Ashcroft, British Columbia, a village in Canada
**Ashcroft House in Bagpath, Gloucestershire, England—eponym of the Canadian village
* Ashcroft, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia
* Ashcroft, Colorado, ...
in 1979.
Black continued to purchase other newspapers over time and soon formed newspaper clusters around Victoria and Vancouver.
In 1991, Black formed Sound Publishing after he purchased three newspapers on the
Kitsap Peninsula
The Kitsap Peninsula () lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound, in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal separates the peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of Kits ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
The subsidy has since managed all of his titles in
Washington (state)
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
and
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
.
In 2001, Black purchased the ''
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
The ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii (after the ''Honolulu Advertiser''). ...
''. In 2010, Black purchased ''
The Honolulu Advertiser
''The Honolulu Advertiser'' was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in the American state of Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and Int ...
'' and merged the two Hawaiian papers together to create the ''
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
The ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser'' is the largest daily newspaper in Hawaii, formed in 2010 with the merger of ''The Honolulu Advertiser'' and the ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' after the acquisition of the former by Black Press, which already owned the ...
''. The paper is managed by a subsidy, Oahu Publications, along with all other publications Black owns in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
.
On September 19, 2002,
Torstar
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, Ni ...
announced it was investing $20 million to acquire a 19.35% share in Black Press. At that time Black Press published 88 newspapers and had 11 printing plants. Annual revues were $240 million.
In 2006, the Black acquired 119,000-circulation ''
Akron Beacon Journal
The ''Akron Beacon Journal'' is a morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States. Owned by Gannett, it is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper's coverage focuses on local news. The Beacon J ...
'' in Ohio from
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, it was the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspaper brand ...
for $165 million.
Prior to buying the Akron paper, Black had bid unsuccessfully on two Philadelphia dailies and a group of weeklies published by the ''Boston Herald''. Black later sold the paper in 2018 to
GateHouse Media and acquired the ''
Juneau Empire
The ''Juneau Empire'' is a newspaper in Juneau, Alaska, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consist ...
'' and two other papers in Alaska from GateHouse.
Black Press and Sound Publishing in 2009 had a collective annual revenue in the $500-million range, Black said in an interview.
In 2011, 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
The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863.
Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...
''. Media outlets initially reported the paper was purchased by Black's company
Black Press
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 M ...
, but Black only participated as a private investor and held shares in the ''Examiner'' separately from Black Press.San Francisco Media Co., including the ''Examiner'' and ''
SF Weekly
''SF Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper founded in the 1970s in San Francisco, California. It was distributed every Thursday, and was published by the San Francisco Print Media Company. The paper has won national journalism awards, ...
,'' was sold to Clint Reilly Communications in 2020.
In 2013, Black purchased ''
The Everett Herald
''The Everett Herald'' is a daily newspaper based in Everett, Washington, United States. It is owned by Sound Publishing, Inc. The paper serves residents of Snohomish County.
History
''The Daily Herald'' was first published on February 11, 190 ...
'', a daily newspaper near
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. It had previously been owned for 35 years by the Washington Post Company.
In March 2021, Black purchased
Northern News Services Limited of
Yellowknife
Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...
,
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
, which publishes five newspapers in the Northwest Territories and two in
Nunavut
Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...
.
Oil refinery
On August 17, 2012, Black announced he is putting forth a proposal to build a $13.2 billion
oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...
in
Kitimat
Kitimat is a district municipality in the North Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine regional government. The Kitimat Valley is part of the most populous urban distr ...
with his company, Kitimat Clean Ltd. The refinery would turn
bitumen
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
from the
Alberta oil sands into solid pellets for shipment by train to the refinery north. At full capacity, 400,000 barrels of petroleum products would produced a day and hen be loaded onto tankers for shipment to markets globally.
Black used his personal funds to pay for feasibility and environmental studies for the project.
In March 2013, Black said he partnered with Oppenheimer Investments Group, a Switzerland-based firm, to raise the funds to proceed. At that time the original price tag of the refinery itself had risen to $16 billion due to switching to new technologies to reduce greenhouse gases. Other factors raised the total cost for the Kitimat Clean Refinery Project to $22 billion.
In April 2013, Black said the
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC; ) is a Chinese multinational bank.
Founded as a limited company on 1 January 1984, ICBC is a state-owned commercial bank. With capital provided by the Ministry of Finance of China, the ...
had agreed to become an investor and financial advisor for the project.
In 2016, Black submitted a 129 page project description to federal and provincial regulators for the environmental assessment process. On October 2, 2016, the federal environmental assessment of the project was suspended at the request of the proponent.
Personal life
Black resides in
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...
.
In 1970, Black married Annabeth Cote.
The two first met while they were students at the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
.
The couple had four children together: twin sons Alan and Fraser, and daughters Morgan and Catherine.
As of 2012, Black has nine grandchildren.
His wife Annabeth died of
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
on August 23, 2006.
Black is a member of the
Royal Vancouver Yacht Club
The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (RVYC) is a yacht club located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Royal Vancouver Yacht Club currently operates two marinas, the one at Jericho Beach in English Bay and another in Coal Harbour. The Jericho site inclu ...
and owns a boat called the Esperanza.
Black is a supporter of the
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party, often shortened to the BC Liberals, is a Centre-right politics, centre-right provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition. Subsequent to the 2020 Br ...
and has made top-tier donations to the
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
provincial political party.Between 2006 and 2011, Black Press contributed $5,430 to the BC Liberals.
Riffington Manor
Black lives at Riffington Manor, a prominent home in
Uplands
Upland or Uplands may refer to:
Geography
*Hill, an area of higher land, generally
*Highland, an area of higher land divided into low and high points
*Upland and lowland, conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level
*I ...
.
The property along Beach Drive was built in 1913 for Scottish-born businessman Andrew Wright, one of the principal investors in the Uplands development. The stone for the mansion came from
Haddington Island.
The two-story house's notable features include 10 fireplaces and an octagonal entrance hall that is rose-windowed at its dome and galleried at the upper level.
Four bedrooms, each with a full bathroom and dressing room, occupy the entire upper floor.
A reporter for the
Times Colonist
The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily Co ...
in 2016 called the property "one of Victoria’s most famous and historic waterfront estates."
Black has rented out the property for use as a film location, with all collected fees donated to the Victoria Hospice Society in his wife's honor. In 2017, the house was used as a location in the fourth film in the
Gourmet Detective
''Gourmet Detective'' is an American-Canadian series of made-for-television mystery films based on a book series of the same name from author Peter King that stars Dylan Neal as Henry Ross, a chef turned culinary sleuth and Brooke Burns as Detec ...
series. In 2018, the house was a film location for the
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...
original film "Once upon a Prince."
University of Victoria
Black is a long-time supporter of the
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...
. He served as the first board chair of the
Peter B. Gustavson School of Business from 1991 to 1996.
Since 2008, the annual Black Press Business Scholarship has awarded $5,000 to up to 37 students from across British Columbia entering the University of Victoria’s Bachelor of Commerce program.
UVic's business school named Black "Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year" in 2007. The university also awarded Black an honorary degree in 2014.
In 2019, the University of Victoria honored Black by naming the Black Ink Classroom in the David Strong Building lecture hall in his honor.
References
20th-century Canadian newspaper publishers (people)
21st-century Canadian newspaper publishers (people)
Canadian newspaper chain founders
Living people
1946 births
Torstar people
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