The Oxford Journal is a free newspaper distributed throughout the city of Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

 and county of Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

, UK. It is published by TriMedia, who also publish other free newspapers including the Oxfordshire Guardian

Oxfordshire Guardian

The Oxfordshire Guardian is a free newspaper distributed throughout South and West Oxfordshire in England. It was launched in July 2011 and publishes around 17,000 copies between two issues, one covering the South and Vale of White Horse The Oxfordshire Guardian is a free newspaper distributed...

, Basingstoke Observer

Basingstoke Observer

The Basingstoke Observer is a local newspaper for the Basingstoke and surrounding areas of north Hampshire, in England. The newspaper is published weekly, and is available free for readers to 'pick up' from various shops and public outlets in and around Basingstoke...

, Oxford Property Weekly and Auto Weekly Papers.

Early History

The paper was launched in January 1973 from an old toy factory in Cowley and was arguably one of the first free newspapers in the United Kingdom. It was later sold to a local publishing company, Goodhead Press, who subsequently sold the paper to Courier Newspapers (Oxford) Ltd in 1996 which continued to publish the paper alongside its own one, the South Oxfordshire Courier

South Oxfordshire Courier

The South Oxfordshire Courier was a free newspaper distributed throughout the towns of Abingdon, Wantage, Faringdon, Wallingford and Didcot in Oxfordshire, UK...

. Both and Courier and Journal subsequently became owned by Milestone Group

Milestone Group

The Milestone Group is a British Technology company. Originally a cross media proprietor who had holdings in radio, publishing and television, it now focuses on digital solutions and creates websites and mobile applications...

 in 2003.

Mergers and rebrands

In 2004 the paper was renamed Courier Journal as part of a merger with the Courier to produce one paper covering Oxfordshire, but this did not last and in 2005 the paper was relaunched in Oxford as the Oxford City Journal, however in September 2006, the original title was reinstated after Milestone Group sold the Courier group to its managing director. When owned by the Milestone Group

Milestone Group

The Milestone Group is a British Technology company. Originally a cross media proprietor who had holdings in radio, publishing and television, it now focuses on digital solutions and creates websites and mobile applications...

 the paper's sister publications included the magazine Oxfordshire Living.

On 3 January 2008, it was announced on that week's issue that the Oxford Journal would supersede its sister paper, the South Oxfordshire Courier.

Canadian namesake

There is also an Oxford Journal which has been published for more than 100 years in the small Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

 town of Oxford, Canada

Oxford, Nova Scotia

Oxford is a town in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada east of Amherst. The town is directly serviced by Routes 104, 204, 301, and 321.-History:...

. It has absolutely no link with the English Oxford Journal.