As one chapter ends, another begins.
Saturday, June 30 will be the last daily edition of The News.
It is not the end, but merely another evolution in the history of a paper that has seen a century of change.
This newspaper traces its roots back more than a century to a time of horse and carriage, when coal mining was in full swing and ships were still being built along the East River. As the community has changed so have we.
Today, thanks to the Internet, we reach more people with the stories that matter to Pictou County than we ever have before. But as technology changes, so must our approach to delivering news. Today marks the beginning of new methods in bringing news to the community, more in keeping with the needs and demands of the 21st century.
In just under a week, readers will get a look at their first edition of the weekly edition of The News, a paper that will continue to bring news and information from around the region, and just down the street.
The features and reporting that have earned this newspaper its reputation as the leader in local news won’t change. What will change is our approach to telling these stories. The News in its weekly form will offer a more reflective, in-depth look at the issues that impact our readers’ lives and accounts of the successes, achievements, struggles and challenges that define our community. It will not be a look back, but a look forward at what events and issues will be happening that readers should be aware of.
It doesn’t stop there. In this ever-changing age, gathering and presenting news has become a 24-hour-a-day responsibility. Through our online service at ngnews.ca we will remain the primary source for local news and important, up-to-the-minute information when it’s called for, available to you at the mere click of a mouse.
Please join us as we look to the future and continue a legacy of telling the stories of Pictou County.
The News – a brief history
Since 1911, The News and its predecessor, The Evening News, have been arriving on doorsteps in Pictou County six days a week.
The pages of this paper have announced the beginnings and ends of wars, of deaths and births. It has told of mine disasters and church teas, of businesses opening and closing. Most important, it has been a witness to the lives of the people of Pictou County.
According to historian James Cameron in his book, Pictou County’s History, The Evening News was founded by James A. Stairs, who began daily publication of The Evening News in 1911 after previously operating a weekly paper, The Standard, in New Glasgow.
Here’s a look back at some key dates in the history of the paper.
• May 1911 – It is believed that this was the month that The Evening News began publication as part of The Standard Printing Company Ltd.
• 1912 – The publishing company name changes to Albion Publishing Company Ltd.
• 1913 – Albion Publishing Company merges with Free Lance Publishing Company Ltd (founded in 1895) of Westville to form Scotia Printers Ltd. with J.W.H. Sutherland Sr. as President and Stairs as Vice President. The Free Lance would later become an auxiliary weekly to The Evening News.
• 1929 – The Evening News plant moves from Archimedes Street to the Chambers Building on Provost Street. A high-speed press is added.
• 1930 – The Evening News is added to the Canadian Press full service coverage with installation of tele-printer equipment.
• 1936 – J.W.H. Sutherland dies leaving the management and ownership of the newspaper to his sons.
• 1969 – Thompson Newspapers purchases The Evening News
• 1996 – Southam Newspapers purchases The Evening News from Thompson
• 1998 – Hollinger Canadian Newspapers takes ownership of the paper
• 2000 – CanWest Global Inc. purchases the paper
• 2002 – Transcontinental Media becomes owner of The Evening News. During Transcontinental’s ownership the publication would switch to a morning publication and become known as The News. It was at this time the paper switched to a tabloid-sized paper.
• April 2017 – The Chronicle Herald announces the formation of the SaltWire Network and the purchase of The News along with 26 other Transcontinental-owned publications. The News returns to a broadsheet-sized paper just over two months later.
• May 30, 2018 – SaltWire announces that The News will become a weekly publication.
• June 30, 2018 – The final daily edition of The News is printed.
• July 5, 2018 – The first weekly edition of The News will be distributed.
SOURCES: The News archives and James Cameron’s book, Pictou County’s History, copyright 1972.
