Victoria Times-Colonist
Encyclopedia
The Times Colonist is an English-language daily newspaper
in Victoria
, British Columbia
, Canada
. It was formed by the merger, in 1980, of the Victoria Daily Times, established in 1884, and the British Colonist (later the Daily Colonist), established in 1858 by Amor De Cosmos
, who was also British Columbia
's second Premier
.
The Times Colonist is owned by Postmedia Network
of Toronto
, Ontario
. Other daily newspapers in the Postmedia group include The Vancouver Sun
, The Province
, the Edmonton Journal
, the Calgary Herald
, the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, the Regina Leader-Post
, the Ottawa Citizen
, the Windsor Star
, The Gazette
of Montreal, and the National Post
. As well, Postmedia owns a number of other Vancouver Island papers, including the Nanaimo Daily News, Alberni Valley Times, Cowichan Citizen and Comox Valley Echo.
Local news receives the greatest prominence in the Times Colonist. Stories and photographs about Greater Victoria are often featured on the front page. But the newspaper also has national and international stories, plus sections covering the arts, sports, and business.
According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the average daily paid circulation for the Times Colonist, Tuesday to Friday, was 57,823 for the six months ending March 31, 2011. This a drop of 10.3% from the previous year. As a result the paper is attempting to raise revenue by charging readers who read more then twenty on-line digital articles a month.
The Times Colonist is published six days a week (Tuesday to Sunday - before June 2009 it was published seven) and is sold by subscription or at newsstands. There was no reduction in subscription rates when the colonist reduced production to six days per week. There is also a free daily paper produced by Black Press, which runs a chain of local community newspapers. Black Press produces twice-weekly community papers that compete with the Times Colonist for readership and are distributed for free, through home delivery and in boxes in high-traffic public areas.
As of March 2006, the newsroom of the Times Colonist was staffed by an estimated 12 full-time news reporters, a news columnist, two business reporters, five full-time photographers and one part-time photographer. Two reporters were based out of the B.C. Legislature
. There were also arts, life and sports reporters, along with various section editors, copy editors
, layout designers, graphic artists, photo techs, and editorial assistants.
and Public Eye Online covered the story extensively, and their reporting suggests Smith was fired due to pressure from business interests. Smith was eventually rehired. To date the Times Colonist has never released a statement on the affair.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, 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...
. It was formed by the merger, in 1980, of the Victoria Daily Times, established in 1884, and the British Colonist (later the Daily Colonist), established in 1858 by Amor De Cosmos
Amor De Cosmos
Amor De Cosmos was a Canadian journalist, publisher and politician. He served as the second Premier of British Columbia.-Early life:...
, who was also British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
's second Premier
Premier of British Columbia
The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...
.
The Times Colonist is owned by Postmedia Network
Postmedia Network
Postmedia Network Canada Corp. is a Canadian media company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in newspaper publishing, news gathering and Internet operations....
of 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...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Other daily newspapers in the Postmedia group include The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun is a daily newspaper first published in the Canadian province of British Columbia on February 12, 1912. The paper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. It is published six days a week, Monday to Saturday...
, The Province
The Province
The Province is a daily, tabloid format newspaper published in British Columbia by Postmedia. It has been a daily newspaper since 1898.According to a recent NADbank survey, The Provinces average weekday readership was 520,100, making it British Columbia's most read newspaper...
, the Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...
, the Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
, the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, the Regina Leader-Post
Regina Leader-Post
The Regina Leader-Post is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and now a member of the Postmedia Network.The newspaper was first published as The Leader in 1883, by Nicholas Flood Davin...
, the Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
, the Windsor Star
Windsor Star
The Windsor Star is the regional newspaper of Windsor, Ontario , and is owned by the Postmedia Network Inc. Since 1923, the publication's main office is located at 167 Ferry Street in the downtown area...
, The Gazette
The Gazette (Montreal)
The Gazette, often called the Montreal Gazette to avoid ambiguity, is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with three other daily English newspapers all having shut down at different times during the second half of the 20th century.-History:In 1778,...
of Montreal, and the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
. As well, Postmedia owns a number of other Vancouver Island papers, including the Nanaimo Daily News, Alberni Valley Times, Cowichan Citizen and Comox Valley Echo.
Local news receives the greatest prominence in the Times Colonist. Stories and photographs about Greater Victoria are often featured on the front page. But the newspaper also has national and international stories, plus sections covering the arts, sports, and business.
According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the average daily paid circulation for the Times Colonist, Tuesday to Friday, was 57,823 for the six months ending March 31, 2011. This a drop of 10.3% from the previous year. As a result the paper is attempting to raise revenue by charging readers who read more then twenty on-line digital articles a month.
The Times Colonist is published six days a week (Tuesday to Sunday - before June 2009 it was published seven) and is sold by subscription or at newsstands. There was no reduction in subscription rates when the colonist reduced production to six days per week. There is also a free daily paper produced by Black Press, which runs a chain of local community newspapers. Black Press produces twice-weekly community papers that compete with the Times Colonist for readership and are distributed for free, through home delivery and in boxes in high-traffic public areas.
As of March 2006, the newsroom of the Times Colonist was staffed by an estimated 12 full-time news reporters, a news columnist, two business reporters, five full-time photographers and one part-time photographer. Two reporters were based out of the B.C. Legislature
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
. There were also arts, life and sports reporters, along with various section editors, copy editors
Copy editing
Copy editing is the work that an editor does to improve the formatting, style, and accuracy of text. Unlike general editing, copy editing might not involve changing the substance of the text. Copy refers to written or typewritten text for typesetting, printing, or publication...
, layout designers, graphic artists, photo techs, and editorial assistants.
Controversy
In the summer 2005, the Times Colonist fired veteran reporter Vivian Smith after she wrote an article promoting free and inexpensive activities for tourists and criticizing the high cost of many traditional Victoria tourist hotspots. Online news sources The TyeeThe Tyee
The Tyee is an independent Canadian online web magazine, which focuses on coverage of news and media issues in British Columbia.The Tyee was launched in November 2003 by David Beers, a journalist who had previously been associated with the Vancouver Sun...
and Public Eye Online covered the story extensively, and their reporting suggests Smith was fired due to pressure from business interests. Smith was eventually rehired. To date the Times Colonist has never released a statement on the affair.