Express & Star
Encyclopedia
The Express & Star is an evening newspaper
based in Wolverhampton
, England
, published Monday to Saturday in nine different editions covering the Black Country
, Birmingham
and the wider West Midlands
area from Tamworth
to Kidderminster
. It as widely perceived as being moderately right-wing. The paper reports on sports in the region, along side the Birmingham based, Birmingham Mail.
The newspaper had a daily circulation of 124,480 in the second half of 2009, making it the biggest selling regional daily paper in the UK
.
The Express & Star is one of the few independent newspapers now operating in the UK having been under the continuous ownership of the Graham family almost since its inception. It is owned by the Midland News Association, which also owns the Shropshire Star
newspaper.
Its associated website expressandstar.com was launched in 1997, initially as westmidlands.com. It changed its title to expressandstar.com in 2002.
The newspaper's editor is Adrian Faber.
The Chronicle series of free weekly newspapers is also produced from the newspaper's headquarters in Wolverhampton. The weekly Sporting Star, published on a Saturday, was discontinued in June 2009.
newspaper founded in Wolverhampton in 1880 as a rival to the existing conservative
Evening Express, itself founded in 1874. In 1882 the Star was bought by wealthy Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
, encouraged by his friend and fellow Dunfermline
-born liberal (and by then prominent Wolverhampton councillor) Thomas Graham.
The combination of Carnegie's finance and Graham's organisational ability saw the paper flourish and within two years the Star had taken over the Express under the editorship of another Dunfermline native, editor Andrew Meikle. The combined newspaper adopted its current name in 1889.
Carnegie severed his links with the paper and its parent company the Midland News Association in 1902, leaving Graham in full control until his death in 1909. The following decades saw a steady expansion under Graham's descendents, with the paper's influence spreading out from its native Wolverhampton to cover the entire Black Country. An office in Birmingham was opened and later closed, although a Birmingham edition is still produced from Wolverhampton.
Boris Johnson
and Jeremy Clarkson
are among the prominent journalists to have worked at the newspaper.
The paper currently has a large reputation for sports (in particular association football) journalism with daily articles from Timothy Abraham, and weekly articles by Matthew Turvey.
The 21st century saw a drop in circulation and advertising revenues, in common with most other newspapers, leading to the company shedding around 50 jobs through a voluntary redundancy scheme in April 2006, with further cuts announced in January 2007. The company's West Bromwich printing plant was closed in January 2009, with the loss of 150 jobs.and printing will stop at wolverhampton in oct 2011
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 Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, published Monday to Saturday in nine different editions covering the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and the wider West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
area from Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
to Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
. It as widely perceived as being moderately right-wing. The paper reports on sports in the region, along side the Birmingham based, Birmingham Mail.
The newspaper had a daily circulation of 124,480 in the second half of 2009, making it the biggest selling regional daily paper in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The Express & Star is one of the few independent newspapers now operating in the UK having been under the continuous ownership of the Graham family almost since its inception. It is owned by the Midland News Association, which also owns the Shropshire Star
Shropshire Star
The Shropshire Star is a regional newspaper covering the whole of Shropshire, plus parts of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, the Llangollen area and northern Powys in the United Kingdom.-About:The editor is Keith Harrison....
newspaper.
Its associated website expressandstar.com was launched in 1997, initially as westmidlands.com. It changed its title to expressandstar.com in 2002.
The newspaper's editor is Adrian Faber.
The Chronicle series of free weekly newspapers is also produced from the newspaper's headquarters in Wolverhampton. The weekly Sporting Star, published on a Saturday, was discontinued in June 2009.
History
The origins of the Express & Star lie in the Evening Star – a liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
newspaper founded in Wolverhampton in 1880 as a rival to the existing conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Evening Express, itself founded in 1874. In 1882 the Star was bought by wealthy Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
, encouraged by his friend and fellow Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
-born liberal (and by then prominent Wolverhampton councillor) Thomas Graham.
The combination of Carnegie's finance and Graham's organisational ability saw the paper flourish and within two years the Star had taken over the Express under the editorship of another Dunfermline native, editor Andrew Meikle. The combined newspaper adopted its current name in 1889.
Carnegie severed his links with the paper and its parent company the Midland News Association in 1902, leaving Graham in full control until his death in 1909. The following decades saw a steady expansion under Graham's descendents, with the paper's influence spreading out from its native Wolverhampton to cover the entire Black Country. An office in Birmingham was opened and later closed, although a Birmingham edition is still produced from Wolverhampton.
Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
and Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
are among the prominent journalists to have worked at the newspaper.
The paper currently has a large reputation for sports (in particular association football) journalism with daily articles from Timothy Abraham, and weekly articles by Matthew Turvey.
The 21st century saw a drop in circulation and advertising revenues, in common with most other newspapers, leading to the company shedding around 50 jobs through a voluntary redundancy scheme in April 2006, with further cuts announced in January 2007. The company's West Bromwich printing plant was closed in January 2009, with the loss of 150 jobs.and printing will stop at wolverhampton in oct 2011