News and Views » Straight Talk

Black Press buys 11 B.C. publications from Glacier Media

By Charlie Smith, July 2, 2010

Victoria publisher David Black has expanded his newspaper empire in B.C. with the purchase of 11 publications from Glacier Media, including several in the Kootenays.

The two companies announced today (July 2) that Black's company, Black Press, has bought the Trail Daily Times, the Creston Valley Advance, the Fernie Free Press, the Grand Forks Gazette, the Nelson Daily News, the Weekender, the Prince Rupert Daily News, the Quesnel Advisor, the Cariboo Advisor, the 100 Mile House Advisor, and the Coast Mountain Advisor.

Black Press already owns papers in some of these markets, including the 100 Mile Free Press, the Quesnel Cariboo Observer, the Trail-Rossland News, and the Nelson Star.

The deal gives Black, a former chair of the B.C. Progress Board, greater control over the print media in these communities. Black Press is 20-percent owned by Torstar Corp.

As part of the transaction, Black also bought the Red Deer Express from Great West Newspapers, of which Glacier Media is a partner.

Black already owns the Red Deer Advocate, so this gives his company a more dominant market share over the publishing market in the central Alberta city.

Prior to the latest purchase, Black's company owned more than 80 titles in B.C.

In Metro Vancouver, its newspapers include the West Ender, the North Shore Outlook, the Surrey-North Delta Leader, the Richmond Review, and the Tri-City News.

Meanwhile, Vancouver-based Glacier Media hasn't retreated from B.C. It still owns Business in Vancouver Media Group, the Whistler Question, the Squamish Chief, the Prince George Citizen, and several other publications.

The deal also gave Great West Newspaper Group control over Black Press publications in Canmore, Alberta.

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Comments

igbymac
Sat, 2010-07-03 03:07
A little more convergence to help streamline the message. Enjoy. /sarcasm
 
Camero409
Sat, 2010-07-03 07:14
More centralized control of the media. Gordo must be grinning from ear to ear as are the other LIbERalS. This must stop! We will never get the truth as long as monoplies like this exist. Hopefully the Straight will remain independent forever. We need a independent voice who will report the truth.
 
pragprog
Sat, 2010-07-03 14:15
Couldn't they have taken over Canwest/Vancouver Sun instead.
At least that would have decreased monopolization instead of increased it.
 
There Is a War on Journalism
Sat, 2010-07-03 15:30
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/29/john_pilger_there_is_a_war
 
Joe from Idaho
Sat, 2010-07-03 15:32
Another Black owning the NDN and the Trail Times. It was back in the 70's when another Black owned them, but he's doing time in Florida.
 
binndere
Sun, 2010-07-04 08:19
Hopefully the Nelson Daily News will be put to rest, in recent years it has become a terrible "newspaper", the local weeklys, "Nelson Star" and "Express" are far more relevant and informative than NDN.
 
a once proud profession
Sun, 2010-07-04 10:43
One indicator of his mindset. David Black recently bought his second paper in Hawaii, and immediately merged the two publications. I suspect he'd like to do the same in BC, but he rarely owns two papers in the same town. In Metro Van, he's in competition with the Canwest community papers and has been busy beefing up staff in the ad sales and tech development depts.
 
RodSmelser
Mon, 2010-07-05 06:49
In 1999, David Black required all his newspapers to carry editorials opposing the Nishga Treaty. A complaint by the NDP to the BC Press Council that this limited expression in his papers got the reply that if the owner can't set the tone of a paper, who can?


I have a feeling that BC Press Council ruling certainly sets the tone.

Rod Smelser
 
Salty One
Mon, 2010-07-05 07:36
What's with the doom/convergence/monopoly scenarios? Some context is required here: David Black bought papers in Creston, Fernie, Prince Rupert, Nelson and Red Deer. These aren't exactly metropolises that tilt the balance unleashing some kind of apocolyptic journalism prophecy. And newspapers are a business. Whether it's widgets, wizbangs or newspapers, the name of the game is being better than the competition or swallowing them and Black just ate.
 
julia gillmor
Mon, 2010-07-05 11:35
As an employee of a small local independent in Nelson BC, we are struggling for our lives and to represent the people and culture of Nelson in the face of Black Press dominating our community.
 
bcer
Mon, 2010-07-05 15:35
Well, Nelson Daily News and Prince Rupert Daily News are shutting down — a combined 208 years of newspapers down the drain.
 
not impressed
Mon, 2010-07-05 18:01
no notice nothing go to work and told its our last paper and hand over your keys nice to see all are hard work and sweat is appreciated.
 
Beezley-Bob
Tue, 2010-07-06 21:32
How old a Newspaper is has no relevance. The only thing the same is the title.
 
glen p robbins
Tue, 2010-07-06 21:57
What do you think of an environmental tax on these newspapers 'dumps' including poorly recycled advertising inserts from companies that either do (or I would wager) support the HST?

I think British Columbians need a For and Against team---if you are against Gordon Campbell then you ought to be against David Blacks' newspapers --- // there is not difference in what both want.
 
salty sour
Tue, 2010-07-13 11:09
its too bad that newspapers are strictly a business. there are very few that are interested in acting as a credible medium of information in a world full of deceit and propaganda. instead the bottom line is producing trash that fits their advertisers target audience. the more that any town, city, or metropolis consolidates these forms of media, mankind takes one step closer to homogeneity. the unethical unrestricted capitalism that we currently practice like religion today is a blight on the species. the fraser/ cd howe institution can keep finding ways to spread their cancerous dogmas, and strip any diversity we once had out of our media, but im not buying in.

fuck you.
 
glen p robbins
Thu, 2010-07-15 13:07
So much for being tough on Black (Campbell) Press. Here's something special from "The Now Newspaper" (Tri-City paper) Wednesday, July 14, 2010 -- under Opinion and specifically "Our View" talking about the low BC Liberal polling numbers - which Mario Canseco of Angus Reid described as "monumental". The opinion of the paper goes on to link these numbers with the HST/rip the BC Liberals -- and then concludes with:

"What we'll all be watching for is to see if that translates into a change at the ballot box." (Pardon? - we get to wait until 2013? - not gonna happen).

And then on the same page under "Perspective" long time Global (Campbell news) journalist Keith Baldrey writing on Carole vs Carole (James/Taylor) - and speculation about Campbell's future.

From Baldrey: "Personally, I think he (Campbell) will announce sometime next year or early 2012 that he won't be running again -- of course, if there's a miracle turnaround in the polls---------he may well choose to stick around."

How f@#%#d up are these journalists/editors --- like its Campbell's choice.

I would wager there is a greater liklihood that Campbell gets Lee Harvied--before 2012------------- if he sticks around.

The BC mainstream press has no credibility/they need to change their evil ways - ----------I will push hard for environmental taxation at 10 cents per newpaper and 25 cents per flier---.

Way it Goes.
 
Judith Bonnt
Tue, 2010-09-14 22:34
I don't buy Black Press publications anymore - and if you all don't LIKE Black Press, I urge you to put your money where your mouths all seem to be. Not even David Black can survive in a vacuum, and his legions of advertisers will sooner or later jump ship. I personally cannot handle the volume of inserts in our little (and otherwise useless) weekly publication. And I have a wood stove.
Vote with your damned dollars.
 
 
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