Black Press group

This profile considers the Canada-based Black Press newspaper group, unrelated to former magnate Conrad Black and Hollinger.

It covers -

  • introduction
  • the group
  • studies
  • landmarks

Introduction

Black Press, based in Victoria (British Columbia) encompasses 115 community newspapers in British Columbia and Alberta, along with publications in Ohio, Washington State and Hawaii.

It is controlled by David Black (1946- ). Torstar has a 20% stake

Black founded Black Press in 1975 and gained attention through acquisition of 33 Canadian titles from UK group Trinity in 1997. In 2001 he acquired the Honolulu Star-Bulletin from Liberty Newspapers for US$1; Liberty had held the Star-Bulletin in a joint operating agreement with Gannett after the latter was obliged to sell the title when it acquired the other dominant Hawaiian newspaper. Black merged the Star-Bulletin with a small local weekly, building circulation until the revived paper now equals Gannett's Honolulu Advertiser.

In 2006 Black acquired the Akron Beacon Journal in Ohio for US$165 million from the McClatchy Company as part of that group's disassembly of the Knight Ridder chain.

The Black Press corporate site is here.

The group

Black Press titles include -

Canada

  • Abbotsford News
  • Agassiz Observer
  • Aldergrove Star
  • Bowen Island Undercurrent
  • Burnaby News Leader
  • Chilliwack Progress
  • Hope Standard
  • Langley Times
  • Maple Ridge News
  • Mission City Record
  • New Westminster News Leader
  • North Shore Outlook
  • Peace Arch News
  • Richmond Review
  • South Delta Leader
  • Surrey Leader
  • The Tri-City News
  • WestEnder
  • 100 Mile House Free Press
  • Arrow Lakes News
  • Ashcroft Cache Creek Journal
  • Barriere Star Journal
  • Burns Lake Lakes District News
  • Castlegar News
  • Clearwater Times
  • Fort Saint James Courier
  • Golden Star
  • Houston Today
  • Invermere Valley Echo
  • Kamloops This Week
  • Kelowna Capital News
  • Kitimat Sentinel
  • Kootenay News Advertiser
  • Merritt Herald
  • Penticton Western
  • Prince George Free Press
  • Quesnel Cariboo Observer
  • Revelstoke Times Review
  • Salmon Arm Observer
  • Sicamous Eagle Valley News
  • Similkameen Spotlight
  • Smithers Interior News
  • Smithers The Northern News
  • Summerland Review
  • Terrace Standard
  • The Valley Sentinel
  • Vanderhoof Omineca Express
  • Vernon Morning Star
  • Williams Lake Tribune
  • Red Deer Advocate
  • Business Examiner
  • Campbell River Mirror
  • Courtenay Comox Valley Record
  • Duncan News Leader and Pictorial
  • Esquimalt News
  • Goldstream News Gazette
  • Ladysmith Chronicle
  • Lake Cowichan Gazette
  • Monday Magazine
  • Nanaimo News Bulletin
  • North Island Gazette
  • North Island MidWeek
  • Oak Bay News
  • Parksville Qualicum News
  • Peninsula News Review
  • Saanich News
  • Sooke News Mirror
  • Victoria News
  • Real Estate Victoria
  • Ladysmith Press

Hawaii

  • Honolulu Star-Bulletin
  • MidWeek
  • MidWeek theWeekend
  • Hawaii Marine

Ohio

  • Akron Beacon Journal

The Akron (Ohio, US) Beacon Journal was founded in 1839 as the Summit Beacon, taking its current name through the 1897 merger of the Summit Beacon and the Akron Journal. It was purchased by Charles Landon Knight in 1903 and formed a centrepiece of the Knight publishing chain developed by son John S Knight after 1933. Knight Newspapers merged with Ridder Publications in 1974.

Studies

There have been no major studies of the Black Press group or David Black.

Landmarks

1882 Honolulu Evening Bulletin founded

1891 Chilliwack Progress founded

1893 Hawaiian Star founded

1895 Ashcroft Journal founded

1897 Akron Summit Beacon merges with Akron Journal

1905 Cowichan News Leader founded

1908 Ladysmith Chronicle founded

1912 Peninsula News Review founded

1912 Honolulu Evening Bulletin and Hawaiian Star merged as the Honolulu Star-Bulletin

1971 Gannett buys Honolulu Star-Bulletin

1975 David Black purchases twice-weekly Williams Lake Tribune from his father Alan Black

1993 Gannett sells Star-Bulletin to Liberty Newspapers

1997 buys Red Deer Advocate and 32 other newspapers in West Canada from Trinity for US$58m

2001 buys Hawaii MidWeek

2001 Liberty Newspapers sells Star-Bulletin to Black Press for US$1

2002 Torstar buys 19.35% stake in Black Press for US$20.6m

2006 Akron Beacon Journal acquired from McClatchy for US$165m

2006 acquires The Northern News in Canada