Kentish Gazette
Encyclopedia
The Kentish Gazette is a weekly newspaper serving the city of Canterbury
, Kent
. It is owned by the KM Group
and is published on Thursdays.
It was founded by James Simmons
in 1768 and, after a few weeks' competition, merged with its older rival, George Kirkby's Kentish Post
which had been founded in 1717 and was the 28th known regional newspaper to be produced.
The merged paper continued in existence as the Kentish Gazette under the joint management of Simmons and Kirkby.
In 1942 the Gazette's offices in Canterbury were destroyed by a Luftwaffe
raid on the city. The paper was able to use the Kent Messenger
s offices in Maidstone
to produce that week's copy of the newspaper.
The Gazette, through a number of mergers and acquisitions, took control of other newspapers in the area such as the Whitstable Gazette, Herne Bay Gazette and East Kent Mercury
, all of which were owned by Kent County Newspapers. KCN was taken over by the Kent Messenger Group in 1980.
Along with the rest of the KM-owned papers, the Gazette was given a design overhaul in May 2005.
The Gazette was chosen over the UK's national papers by actor Orlando Bloom
, who was raised in the city, in August 2005.
. The demands of a radio station and a newspaper were becoming too big for the building, so in September 2008 the Gazette and the sales team for KMFM Canterbury were moved to a newly built office building just outside Whitstable.
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. It is owned by the KM Group
KM Group
The KM Group, formerly known as the Kent Messenger Group until 2008, is a multimedia company based in the county of Kent in South East England...
and is published on Thursdays.
History
The newspaper claims to be the second oldest surviving newspaper in the United Kingdom.It was founded by James Simmons
James Simmons
James Simmons was a poet, literary critic and songwriter from Derry, Northern Ireland.-Biography:He was born into a middle-class Protestant family in Derry in 1933 and attended Campbell College in Belfast before moving to the University of Leeds to read for a degree in English...
in 1768 and, after a few weeks' competition, merged with its older rival, George Kirkby's Kentish Post
Kentish Post
The Kentish Post: or the Canterbury News-Letter, Canterbury's first newspaper, published between 1717 and 1768, is the predecessor of the present-day Kentish Gazette....
which had been founded in 1717 and was the 28th known regional newspaper to be produced.
The merged paper continued in existence as the Kentish Gazette under the joint management of Simmons and Kirkby.
In 1942 the Gazette's offices in Canterbury were destroyed by a Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
raid on the city. The paper was able to use the Kent Messenger
Kent Messenger
This article is about the weekly paper for the Maidstone region. For the Kent Messenger Group, see KM Group.The Kent Messenger is a weekly newspaper serving the mid-Kent area. It is published in three editions - Maidstone, Malling, and the Weald...
s offices in Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
to produce that week's copy of the newspaper.
The Gazette, through a number of mergers and acquisitions, took control of other newspapers in the area such as the Whitstable Gazette, Herne Bay Gazette and East Kent Mercury
East Kent Mercury and Dover Mercury
The East Kent Mercury and Dover Mercury are weekly newspapers serving the district of Dover in Kent. The Dover Mercury covers the town of Dover, and the East Kent Mercury the towns of Deal and Sandwich...
, all of which were owned by Kent County Newspapers. KCN was taken over by the Kent Messenger Group in 1980.
Along with the rest of the KM-owned papers, the Gazette was given a design overhaul in May 2005.
The Gazette was chosen over the UK's national papers by actor Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
, who was raised in the city, in August 2005.
Offices
Until 2008, the Kentish Gazette was based in Canterbury's city centre, sharing office space with its sister radio station KMFM CanterburyKMFM Canterbury
KMFM Canterbury is an Independent Local Radio serving the City of Canterbury and the surrounding areas in Kent, South East England. It is part of the KMFM group of radio stations in the county, which are part of the KM Group.-History:...
. The demands of a radio station and a newspaper were becoming too big for the building, so in September 2008 the Gazette and the sales team for KMFM Canterbury were moved to a newly built office building just outside Whitstable.