24 Hours
Encyclopedia
24 Hours and 24 Heures (sometimes stylized as 24H) is a chain of free daily newspaper
s published in Canada
by Sun Media
, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media. Five different English editions are published in Toronto
, Vancouver
, Ottawa
, Calgary
, and Edmonton
, and a French edition is published in Montreal
.
On November 14, 2006, 24 Hours launched two new editions in the Ottawa Valley
area—an English edition published in Ottawa
, and a French edition published in Gatineau
. The Gatineau version stopped publishing on May 9, 2008.
The Vancouver edition of 24 Hours was a joint venture of Sun Media and the Jim Pattison Group
; Pattison sold his share of the Vancouver edition in 2007.
In fall 2009, 24 Hours and 24 Heures were given an extensive makeover. The paper was given the alternative name 24H; while 24H is short-form for "24 Hours" in French, the name was applied to all editions. The paper's color scheme changed for the Montreal edition, from black and yellow to blue and orange, to match the other editions' colors.
At one point, the family of publications under the 24 Hours / 24 Heures banner had exclusively used a lower case "h" in its name. It is now used interchangeably with an uppercase "h".
As of January 3rd, 2011, the Montreal edition of 24 H had reached an agreement with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) for exclusive distribution in the underground Montreal métro network, replacing the Metro newspaper.
, the Canadian Press
and the Associated Press
. The rest of the pages cover lifestyle, travel, entertainment, sports, and the like.
Exact copies of most editions are also available on their official web site. Vancouver and Montreal both operate full websites. Vancouver 24 Hours presents a wide variety of videos and podcast
s. In total Vancouver 24 Hours independent news room accounts for approximately 50% of the news content in the day to day publications. The Montreal edition also includes a weekly entertainment insert, ici Week-end
; until April 30, 2009, ici was its own publication, distributed separately.
24 Hours primary national competition is the free paper Metro
. P.J. Harston was the founding editor-in-chief of both 24 Hours and Metro.
Free daily newspaper
Free daily newspapers are distributed free of charge, either in central places in cities and towns, or with other newspapers. The revenues of such newspapers are based on advertising.-In the U.S.:...
s published in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
by Sun Media
Sun Media
Sun Media Corporation is the owner of several widely read tabloid and broadsheet newspapers in Canada and the 49 percent owner of Sun News Network...
, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media. Five different English editions are published in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, and Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, and a French edition is published in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
History
The Montreal paper was originally called "Metropolitan" and had a large lowercase "m" as its logo.On November 14, 2006, 24 Hours launched two new editions in the Ottawa Valley
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec along the Ottawa River. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield...
area—an English edition published in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, and a French edition published in Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
. The Gatineau version stopped publishing on May 9, 2008.
The Vancouver edition of 24 Hours was a joint venture of Sun Media and the Jim Pattison Group
Jim Pattison Group
The Jim Pattison Group is Canada’s third largest privately held company and, in a recent survey by the Financial Post, The Jim Pattison Group was ranked as Canada’s 62nd largest company. Jim Pattison, a Vancouver-based entrepreneur is the Chairman, President, CEO, and sole owner of the Jim Pattison...
; Pattison sold his share of the Vancouver edition in 2007.
In fall 2009, 24 Hours and 24 Heures were given an extensive makeover. The paper was given the alternative name 24H; while 24H is short-form for "24 Hours" in French, the name was applied to all editions. The paper's color scheme changed for the Montreal edition, from black and yellow to blue and orange, to match the other editions' colors.
At one point, the family of publications under the 24 Hours / 24 Heures banner had exclusively used a lower case "h" in its name. It is now used interchangeably with an uppercase "h".
As of January 3rd, 2011, the Montreal edition of 24 H had reached an agreement with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) for exclusive distribution in the underground Montreal métro network, replacing the Metro newspaper.
Format
Most 24 Hours are published 5 days a week (Monday to Friday) in a 460 mm × 282 mm compact format that is smaller than a tabloid (about 58% the size of a tabloid). Because its target readers are commuters heading to work, it is not published on weekends or statutory holidays, although the Vancouver edition previously provided a digital "Online Weekend Edition". Vancouver 24 Hours print publication measures 270 mm x 330 mm, which is slightly smaller than other markets. The paper averages about 32 pages in an issue, slightly less than half being news, and relies heavily upon wire services such as ReutersReuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, the Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
and the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. The rest of the pages cover lifestyle, travel, entertainment, sports, and the like.
Exact copies of most editions are also available on their official web site. Vancouver and Montreal both operate full websites. Vancouver 24 Hours presents a wide variety of videos and podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s. In total Vancouver 24 Hours independent news room accounts for approximately 50% of the news content in the day to day publications. The Montreal edition also includes a weekly entertainment insert, ici Week-end
Ici (magazine)
ici was an alternative weekly French language magazine distributed in print in Montreal, Quebec, and online through the Canoe.ca network from 1997 to 2009.It had an audience of 89,000 readers a week...
; until April 30, 2009, ici was its own publication, distributed separately.
24 Hours primary national competition is the free paper Metro
Metro International
Metro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is...
. P.J. Harston was the founding editor-in-chief of both 24 Hours and Metro.