Winnipeg Sun
Encyclopedia
The Winnipeg Sun is a daily tabloid-sized newspaper
in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, Canada
.
It is owned by Sun Media, a subsidiary
of Quebecor Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun Media tabloids, including an emphasis on local news stories, extensive sports coverage, a Canadian conservatism editorial stance, and a daily Sunshine Girl
.
The newspaper, like most of those in the Canadian Sun chain, are known for short, snappy news stories aimed primarily at working class readers. The Sun's layout is based somewhat upon that of British
tabloids.
The newspaper is distributed throughout Winnipeg and the surrounding area through retail sales, vending machines and home delivery. According to Canadian Newspaper Association
figures, the newspaper's average weekday circulation for the six-month period preceding March 31, 2006, was 39,320. This figure was 39,476 on Saturdays, and 46,951 on Sundays.
after 90 years in publication, leaving Winnipeg with only one daily newspaper, the Winnipeg Free Press
.
While planning for the Winnipeg Sun was taking place, another group that was publishing The Downtowner and The Suburban
, had publicly stated in their editorial they were strongly considering transforming their weeklies into Winnipeg's next major daily newspaper; this, however, did not happen.
In response to demand for a new newspaper voice in the city, the Winnipeg Sun was announced at a press conference in October 1980, and first published on November 5, 1980. Its founders were Al Davies, Frank Goldberg, William (Bill) A. Everitt and Tom Denton
, with Denton being the first publisher. It initially published Monday, Wednesday and Friday editions. Afternoon home delivery began on December 19, 1980. Carriers collected $1.50 every two weeks from subscribers.
It extended its publication cycle to include Tuesday and Thursday editions on April 27, 1981. The paper added a Sunday edition on September 12, 1982. The Sun moved to seven-day publication in 1992.
Because the newspaper did not normally publish a Tuesday edition, a special edition reporting on assassination attempt of U.S. President Ronald Reagan
was printed on March 31, 1981.
Starting August 4, 1981, the Sun moved to a morning home-delivery schedule. The newspapers were expected to be done by 6:30 a.m.
On March 10, 1982, the Sun reduced the size of the paper to more closely resemble that of the other tabloid-size newspapers.
The newspaper started publishing Sunday through Friday beginning September 12, 1982, with its largest paper to date at 120 pages.
In its early days, the newspaper's offices were located at 290 Garry Street in downtown Winnipeg, around the corner from the offices that had housed the defunct Winnipeg Tribune. In the early 1980s, the newspaper moved to a building in suburban Inkster Industrial Park, presaging a similar move by the Winnipeg Free Press some years later.
In February 1983, Quebecor
invested in the newspaper, at a time when circulation of the Sun had grown to 34,000 daily. Lack of advertisers and not owning its own printing press caused the paper's debts to grow. The new owners reviewed continuing Winnipeg magazine, but by June 1984 the last edition was published.
, the Edmonton Sun
, the Calgary Sun
and the Ottawa Sun
. The current publisher is Ed Huculak.
, Dallas, Ben Swift, John Darling
, Graves, Inc., Barbara Cartland's Romances
, Heathcliff
, The Neighborhood
, and Winthrop.
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...
in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, 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...
.
It is owned by Sun Media, a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Quebecor Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun Media tabloids, including an emphasis on local news stories, extensive sports coverage, a Canadian conservatism editorial stance, and a daily Sunshine Girl
Sunshine Girl
Sunshine Girl refers to pinup girls featured in most of the daily newspapers of the Sun chain in Canada.The feature started with the Toronto Sun, which was launched in 1971, and was adapted from British tabloids with similar featured women. The SUNshine girls have become an iconic part of Canadian...
.
The newspaper, like most of those in the Canadian Sun chain, are known for short, snappy news stories aimed primarily at working class readers. The Sun's layout is based somewhat upon that of British
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...
tabloids.
The newspaper is distributed throughout Winnipeg and the surrounding area through retail sales, vending machines and home delivery. According to Canadian Newspaper Association
Canadian Newspaper Association
The Canadian Newspaper Association is the national organization of daily newspapers in Canada, founded in 1996. It is a non-profit trade association and lobby organization, which represents more than 100 Canadian English and French newspapers...
figures, the newspaper's average weekday circulation for the six-month period preceding March 31, 2006, was 39,320. This figure was 39,476 on Saturdays, and 46,951 on Sundays.
1980s
On August 27, 1980, Southam Newspapers closed the Winnipeg TribuneWinnipeg Tribune
The Winnipeg Tribune was a metropolitan daily newspaper serving Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from January 28, 1890 to August 27, 1980. The paper was founded by R.L. Richardson and D.L. McIntyre who acquired the press and premises of the old Winnipeg Sun newspaper. It was often viewed as a liberal...
after 90 years in publication, leaving Winnipeg with only one daily newspaper, the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
.
While planning for the Winnipeg Sun was taking place, another group that was publishing The Downtowner and The Suburban
The Suburban
The Suburban is the largest English-language weekly newspaper in the province of Quebec. It is a community newspaper based in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, and serves primarily the west-end of the city and the West Island suburbs. The newspaper's editor-in-chief is Beryl Wajsman. Its...
, had publicly stated in their editorial they were strongly considering transforming their weeklies into Winnipeg's next major daily newspaper; this, however, did not happen.
In response to demand for a new newspaper voice in the city, the Winnipeg Sun was announced at a press conference in October 1980, and first published on November 5, 1980. Its founders were Al Davies, Frank Goldberg, William (Bill) A. Everitt and Tom Denton
Tom Denton
Tom Denton in York, Yorkshire, England is a rugby union player for Leeds Carnegie in the Guinness Premiership, playing as a lock.-External links:*...
, with Denton being the first publisher. It initially published Monday, Wednesday and Friday editions. Afternoon home delivery began on December 19, 1980. Carriers collected $1.50 every two weeks from subscribers.
It extended its publication cycle to include Tuesday and Thursday editions on April 27, 1981. The paper added a Sunday edition on September 12, 1982. The Sun moved to seven-day publication in 1992.
Because the newspaper did not normally publish a Tuesday edition, a special edition reporting on assassination attempt of U.S. President Ronald Reagan
Reagan assassination attempt
The Reagan assassination attempt occurred on Monday, March 30, 1981, just 69 days into the presidency of Ronald Reagan. While leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley, Jr...
was printed on March 31, 1981.
Starting August 4, 1981, the Sun moved to a morning home-delivery schedule. The newspapers were expected to be done by 6:30 a.m.
On March 10, 1982, the Sun reduced the size of the paper to more closely resemble that of the other tabloid-size newspapers.
The newspaper started publishing Sunday through Friday beginning September 12, 1982, with its largest paper to date at 120 pages.
In its early days, the newspaper's offices were located at 290 Garry Street in downtown Winnipeg, around the corner from the offices that had housed the defunct Winnipeg Tribune. In the early 1980s, the newspaper moved to a building in suburban Inkster Industrial Park, presaging a similar move by the Winnipeg Free Press some years later.
In February 1983, Quebecor
Quebecor
Quebecor Inc. is a communications company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by Pierre Péladeau, and remains run by his family. Quebecor Inc. owns 55% of Quebecor Media Inc...
invested in the newspaper, at a time when circulation of the Sun had grown to 34,000 daily. Lack of advertisers and not owning its own printing press caused the paper's debts to grow. The new owners reviewed continuing Winnipeg magazine, but by June 1984 the last edition was published.
1990s
On January 5, 1999, Quebecor acquired the Sun Media chain of newspapers. On May 10, 1999, the newspaper was relaunched, taking on an appearance consistent with the Toronto SunToronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
, the Edmonton Sun
Edmonton Sun
The Edmonton Sun is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is a division of Sun Media, a Quebecor company.It began publishing in 1978 and shares many characteristics typical of Sun Media tabloids, including an emphasis on local news stories, its conservative editorial stance,...
, the Calgary Sun
Calgary Sun
The Calgary Sun is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a division of Sun Media, a Quebecor company.First published in 1980, the tabloid-format daily replaced the long-running broadsheet newspaper, The Albertan soon after it was acquired by the publishers of the Toronto...
and the Ottawa Sun
Ottawa Sun
The Ottawa Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is published by Sun Media. It was first published in the early 1980s as the Ottawa Sunday Herald, until it was acquired by Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation in 1988....
. The current publisher is Ed Huculak.
Comic strips
The Sun carries a comics page. Some of the initial comics published in the Sun were Ziggy, Frank and ErnestFrank and Ernest (comic strip)
Frank and Ernest is a comic strip created and illustrated by Bob Thaves and later Tom Thaves. It debuted on November 6, 1972, and has since been published daily in over 1,200 newspapers...
, Dallas, Ben Swift, John Darling
John Darling
John Darling was a comic strip, created by Tom Batiuk, about a talk show host. It appeared from March 25, 1979 to August 4, 1991.John Darling was originally a supporting character in Batiuk's strip Funky Winkerbean. Popular with readers, he was spun off into his own strip...
, Graves, Inc., Barbara Cartland's Romances
Barbara Cartland
Dame Barbara Hamilton Cartland, DBE, CStJ , was an English author, one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century...
, Heathcliff
Heathcliff (comic strip)
Heathcliff is a comic strip created by George Gately in 1973 featuring the title character, a wisecracking cat. Now written and drawn by Gately's nephew, Peter Gallagher, it is distributed to over 1,000 newspapers by Creators Syndicate, who took over the comic from McNaught Syndicate in 1988.The...
, The Neighborhood
Jerry Van Amerongen
Jerry Van Amerongen is a cartoonist based in the United States. His work includes the comic panel Ballard Street, which has run since 1991. Before 1991 he drew a comic panel entitled The Neighborhood for ten years. He has been recognized with the National Cartoonist Society Newspaper Panel Award...
, and Winthrop.
External links
- winnipegsun.com, Winnipeg Sun official website