London Free Press
Encyclopedia
The London Free Press is a daily newspaper
based in London
, Ontario
, Canada
.
The London Free Press began as the Canadian Free Press, founded by William Sutherland in 1847. It first began printing as a weekly newspaper in 1849. In 1852, it was purchased for $500 by Josiah Blackburn, who renamed it The London Free Press and Daily Western Advertiser. In 1855 Blackburn turned the weekly newspaper into a daily.
From 1863 to 1936 The London Free Press competed for readership with the London Advertiser, which was a daily evening newspaper. The Free Press has usually been a morning paper, but for many years, it also published an evening paper. Both morning and evening editions were published from the 1950s through to 1981, when the evening edition was permanently retired.
The Blackburn family was also involved in other forms of media in London. They established CFPL
in 1933, CFPL-FM
in 1948 and CFPL-TV
in 1953. The radio stations are now owned by Corus Entertainment
, and the television station is owned by CHUM Limited
.
The sudden death of publisher Martha Blackburn in the summer of 1992 due to a heart attack after water skiing on Lake Huron
, set the stage for the eventual sale of the family owned newspaper.
In 1997 the Blackburn family sold the newspaper to Sun Media Corporation, with new, London-born publisher John Paton introducing a Sunday edition. Shortly thereafter, Sun Media was purchased by Quebecor Inc. during the Canadian newspaper wars of 1997. Today, The London Free Press is owned by Quebecor Media Inc.
The London Free Press currently has an average daily circulation of about 115,000. It is the largest newspaper in Southwestern Ontario outside of Toronto and is Western Ontario's main regional newspaper.
In late August of 2005, Quebecor announced that, starting in 2007, The London Free Press would no longer be printed locally at its press at 369 York Street; instead it would be printed at a new press facility to be built north of Toronto
, resulting in a loss of 180 local jobs. However, in September of 2007, this move has been suspended to allow the Free Press to present a business case for the printing department and staff's retention.
As of 2008, the publisher of the newspaper is Susan Muszak, the editor-in-chief is Paul Berton, and the managing editor is Joe Ruscitti.
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...
based in London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, 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....
, 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...
.
The London Free Press began as the Canadian Free Press, founded by William Sutherland in 1847. It first began printing as a weekly newspaper in 1849. In 1852, it was purchased for $500 by Josiah Blackburn, who renamed it The London Free Press and Daily Western Advertiser. In 1855 Blackburn turned the weekly newspaper into a daily.
From 1863 to 1936 The London Free Press competed for readership with the London Advertiser, which was a daily evening newspaper. The Free Press has usually been a morning paper, but for many years, it also published an evening paper. Both morning and evening editions were published from the 1950s through to 1981, when the evening edition was permanently retired.
The Blackburn family was also involved in other forms of media in London. They established CFPL
CFPL (AM)
CFPL, or AM980, is a radio station owned by Corus Entertainment and based in London, Ontario, Canada that transmits at 10,000 watts at 980 kHz on the AM dial. The station primarily airs news, talk and sports programming.-History:...
in 1933, CFPL-FM
CFPL-FM
CFPL-FM, or FM96, is a radio station owned by Corus Entertainment and based in London, Ontario, Canada that transmits at 179,000 watts at 95.9 MHz on the FM dial...
in 1948 and CFPL-TV
CFPL-TV
CFPL-DT is a television station based in London, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Part of the CTV Two television system, the station serves London, Sarnia and much of southwestern Ontario north of London, including Wingham since its former sister station, CKNX-TV which ceased operations and...
in 1953. The radio stations are now owned by Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment conglomerate.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's...
, and the television station is owned by CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
.
The sudden death of publisher Martha Blackburn in the summer of 1992 due to a heart attack after water skiing on Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
, set the stage for the eventual sale of the family owned newspaper.
In 1997 the Blackburn family sold the newspaper to Sun Media Corporation, with new, London-born publisher John Paton introducing a Sunday edition. Shortly thereafter, Sun Media was purchased by Quebecor Inc. during the Canadian newspaper wars of 1997. Today, The London Free Press is owned by Quebecor Media Inc.
Quebecor Media Inc.
Quebecor Media Inc. is a Canadian media company. Quebecor Inc. owns the controlling interest with 54.72% while CDP Capital d’Amérique Investissements Inc. owns the remaining 45.28%...
The London Free Press currently has an average daily circulation of about 115,000. It is the largest newspaper in Southwestern Ontario outside of Toronto and is Western Ontario's main regional newspaper.
In late August of 2005, Quebecor announced that, starting in 2007, The London Free Press would no longer be printed locally at its press at 369 York Street; instead it would be printed at a new press facility to be built north 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...
, resulting in a loss of 180 local jobs. However, in September of 2007, this move has been suspended to allow the Free Press to present a business case for the printing department and staff's retention.
As of 2008, the publisher of the newspaper is Susan Muszak, the editor-in-chief is Paul Berton, and the managing editor is Joe Ruscitti.