Winnipeg Tribune
Encyclopedia
The Winnipeg Tribune was a metropolitan daily newspaper
serving Winnipeg, Manitoba
, Canada
from January 28, 1890 to August 27, 1980. The paper was founded by R.L. Richardson
and D.L. McIntyre who acquired the press and premises of the old Winnipeg Sun newspaper. It was often viewed as a liberal newspaper focused on local news and events. The paper was owned by Southam Inc at the time of its demise. It was frequently referred to as The Trib.
Southam bought the paper in 1920.
In 1922, Winnipeg Tribune launched a radio station, CJNC which closed down a year later in 1923.
and the Montreal Gazette.
telephone system was installed for advertisers and subscribers to use when calling. This allowed direct dialing without requiring the person to first contact the switchboard operator.
By the mid-1970s the Trib's daily circulation figures began to slip to 70,000, and was falling. The Southam chain decided to totally redesign the paper. The new design made its debut on September 6, 1975. Although the offset press was capable of printing a 112-page newspaper, the September 6 edition was 124-pages, including the 48-page Trib Classifieds. This forced the press operators to print the Trib Lifestyle section separately. Within a few months, The Trib's circulation gained 30,000 paid readers, which made the upgrade a success.
A few days before the design change, on September 1, they made all private sale listings in the Trib Classified free in the form of a Want-Ad Free-for-All promotion.
In response to fierce competition between the Winnipeg Free Press
and Winnipeg Tribune in the late 1970s, the Trib tried to attract more subscribers by offering Free Classified Ads.
In March 1979, they had bought some space atop the Casa Loma building (Portage Avenue & Sherbrook Street) to hold Winnipeg's largest billboard. The sign read "[logo] With the Trib, it's Winnipeg. First." The billboard was designed by the advertising firm Martel-Stewart Ltd. and was larger than any billboard seen in Winnipeg ever, and the largest in all of Western Canada. It measured 23 feet tall by 60 feet wide, and had 4,200 light bulbs. The billboard space had previously been used by Export A cigarettes as far back as 1959.
When Southam's weekend magazine The Canadian merged with FP Newspapers' Weekend, The Trib decided to differentiate itself from the Free Press by creating the locally written tabloid, Trib Magazine started November 24, 1979.
In the late 1970's the Tribune started publishing the weekend color comics in booklet form, as "collectible comics". The first issue, Vol.1 No.1, was published September 24, 1977. The final issue, Vol.4 No. 34, was published August 23, 1977.
The trademark name is now owned by the Tribunes old rival, the Winnipeg Free Press
.
Shockwaves moved through the community also, with many Winnipeggers angry about losing a competing public voice.
Worse yet, the Trib's closure happened at the same time as the closing of the Ottawa Journal
. In 1980, the Ottawa Journal had been purchased by Thomson Newspapers and was closed on August 26, 1980. This left Southam's Ottawa Citizen
as the only major newspaper in Ottawa, and the Thompsons' Winnipeg Free Press the only major newspaper in Winnipeg.
The Royal Commission on Newspapers
, popularly known as the Kent Commission, was created in 1980 in response to allegations of collusion following the same-day closings of the Thomson-owned Ottawa Journal and the Southam-owned Winnipeg Tribune.
The last issue of the Trib, with the headline "It's Been 90 Great Years", remains a collector's item to this day.
.
The University of Manitoba
Archives and Special Collections holds a collection of over 500 000 photographs, 250 000 newspaper clippings arranged into morgue files and microfilm copies of the newspaper.
In 1994 the Lion's Club announced their intention to build an 18-storey apartment tower on the old Winnipeg Tribune site. To be called Tribune Towers, it would be for seniors 55+, and contain 132 suites. There would have been skywalk connections to the Millennium Library
. However something had stopped this plan from following through, and the project was cancelled.
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...
serving Winnipeg, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, 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...
from January 28, 1890 to August 27, 1980. The paper was founded by R.L. Richardson
Robert Lorne Richardson
Robert Lorne Richardson was a Canadian journalist, editor, newspaper owner, author, and politician.Born in Balderson, Lanark County, Upper Canada, the son of Joseph Richardson and Harriet Thompson, Richardson was educated at the Balderson Public School and in 1879 became a journalist working for...
and D.L. McIntyre who acquired the press and premises of the old Winnipeg Sun newspaper. It was often viewed as a liberal newspaper focused on local news and events. The paper was owned by Southam Inc at the time of its demise. It was frequently referred to as The Trib.
1900–1950
During the Winnipeg General Strike in 1919, the newspaper sided with the Citizens' Committee of 1000, declaring, "Winnipeg is now under the Soviet system of government."Southam bought the paper in 1920.
In 1922, Winnipeg Tribune launched a radio station, CJNC which closed down a year later in 1923.
1960s
On Friday, September 5, 1969 the Trib replaced its small user-folded TV listings printed on yellow paper with a glossy-covered 32-page booklet called TV Times. The TV magazine was also featured in the Ottawa CitizenOttawa 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 :...
and the Montreal Gazette.
1970s
On Sunday, June 21, 1970 a new CentrexCentrex
Centrex is a portmanteau of central exchange, a kind of telephone exchange.In the United Kingdom, British Telecom markets this service as FeatureLine .-Use of Centrex:...
telephone system was installed for advertisers and subscribers to use when calling. This allowed direct dialing without requiring the person to first contact the switchboard operator.
By the mid-1970s the Trib's daily circulation figures began to slip to 70,000, and was falling. The Southam chain decided to totally redesign the paper. The new design made its debut on September 6, 1975. Although the offset press was capable of printing a 112-page newspaper, the September 6 edition was 124-pages, including the 48-page Trib Classifieds. This forced the press operators to print the Trib Lifestyle section separately. Within a few months, The Trib's circulation gained 30,000 paid readers, which made the upgrade a success.
A few days before the design change, on September 1, they made all private sale listings in the Trib Classified free in the form of a Want-Ad Free-for-All promotion.
In response to fierce competition between the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
and Winnipeg Tribune in the late 1970s, the Trib tried to attract more subscribers by offering Free Classified Ads.
In March 1979, they had bought some space atop the Casa Loma building (Portage Avenue & Sherbrook Street) to hold Winnipeg's largest billboard. The sign read "[logo] With the Trib, it's Winnipeg. First." The billboard was designed by the advertising firm Martel-Stewart Ltd. and was larger than any billboard seen in Winnipeg ever, and the largest in all of Western Canada. It measured 23 feet tall by 60 feet wide, and had 4,200 light bulbs. The billboard space had previously been used by Export A cigarettes as far back as 1959.
When Southam's weekend magazine The Canadian merged with FP Newspapers' Weekend, The Trib decided to differentiate itself from the Free Press by creating the locally written tabloid, Trib Magazine started November 24, 1979.
In the late 1970's the Tribune started publishing the weekend color comics in booklet form, as "collectible comics". The first issue, Vol.1 No.1, was published September 24, 1977. The final issue, Vol.4 No. 34, was published August 23, 1977.
The trademark name is now owned by the Tribunes old rival, the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
.
The Tribune Closes
On August 27, 1980, without warning, the Tribune was abruptly closed and 375 people were out of work. Gene Telpner joked that he had just gotten new drapes and furniture. Val Werier, who was with the Trib for 35 years, said it was a shocking moment. But people in the pressroom knew something was coming because management had stopped the presses that morning, something they did rarely, and only for major events.Shockwaves moved through the community also, with many Winnipeggers angry about losing a competing public voice.
Worse yet, the Trib's closure happened at the same time as the closing of the Ottawa Journal
Ottawa Journal
The Ottawa Journal was a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario from 1885 to 1980.It was founded in 1885 by A. Woodburn as the Ottawa Evening Journal. Its first editor was John Wesley Dafoe who came from the Winnipeg Free Press. In 1886, it was bought by Philip Dansken Ross.The...
. In 1980, the Ottawa Journal had been purchased by Thomson Newspapers and was closed on August 26, 1980. This left Southam's 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 :...
as the only major newspaper in Ottawa, and the Thompsons' Winnipeg Free Press the only major newspaper in Winnipeg.
The Royal Commission on Newspapers
Royal Commission on Newspapers
The Royal Commission on Newspapers, popularly known as the Kent Commission, was a Canadian Royal Commission chaired by Tom Kent. It was created in 1980 in response to growing concerns over concentration of media ownership in Canada...
, popularly known as the Kent Commission, was created in 1980 in response to allegations of collusion following the same-day closings of the Thomson-owned Ottawa Journal and the Southam-owned Winnipeg Tribune.
The last issue of the Trib, with the headline "It's Been 90 Great Years", remains a collector's item to this day.
After The Closing
A number of employees from the Tribune later helped form the Winnipeg SunWinnipeg Sun
The Winnipeg Sun is a daily tabloid-sized newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.It is owned by Sun Media, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun Media tabloids, including an emphasis on local news stories, extensive sports coverage, a Canadian conservatism...
.
The University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
Archives and Special Collections holds a collection of over 500 000 photographs, 250 000 newspaper clippings arranged into morgue files and microfilm copies of the newspaper.
In 1994 the Lion's Club announced their intention to build an 18-storey apartment tower on the old Winnipeg Tribune site. To be called Tribune Towers, it would be for seniors 55+, and contain 132 suites. There would have been skywalk connections to the Millennium Library
Millennium Library
A Millennium Library may be:*Millennium Library *A library designation given by the White House Millennium Council...
. However something had stopped this plan from following through, and the project was cancelled.