| This
profile considers the Canada-based Black Press newspaper
group, unrelated to former magnate Conrad
Black and Hollinger.
It covers -
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 19.6% 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.
In June 2007 Black Press made a C$405 million offer for
Osprey Media Income Fund, aiming to trump an agreed C$356
takeover of Osprey by Quebecor.
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
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