Winnipeg Sun

The Winnipeg Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Winnipeg Sun
Winnipeg Sun front page, June 16, 2010.
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatTabloid
Owner(s)Postmedia
FoundedNovember 5, 1980 (November 5, 1980) (first edition)
Headquarters1700 Church Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R2X 3A2
Circulation44,424 weekdays (2016 Q2)
36,905 Saturdays (2016 Q2)
38,079 Sundays (2016 Q2)
ISSN0711-3773
Websitewinnipegsun.com

It is owned by Postmedia following its acquisition of Sun Media,[1] and shares many characteristics typical of Sun 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 the Winnipeg metro region through retail sales, vending machines and home delivery. According to Canadian Newspaper Association figures, the newspaper's average weekday circulation for the second quarter of 2016 (April-June) is 44,424. This figure was 36,905 on Saturdays, and 38,079 on Sundays.[2]

History

On August 27, 1980, Southam Newspapers closed the Winnipeg Tribune after 90 years in publication, leaving Winnipeg with only one daily newspaper, the Winnipeg Free Press.[3]

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,[4] 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.[5] The paper added a Sunday edition on September 12, 1982.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8][9]

Winnipeg, curiously, is one of the very few cities in Canada or the United States where a new daily newspaper emerged after the death of the No. 2 underdog. Aside from the free Metro daily publications, outside of Toronto, Winnipeg is the only other city in English Canada with two separately owned competing metropolitan daily newspapers.

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 1983 the newspaper moved to a building in suburban Inkster Industrial Park,[10] presaging a similar move by the Winnipeg Free Press some years later.

In February 1983, Quebecor invested in the newspaper,[11] 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.[12]

Winnipeg Sun logo used from 1999 until 2004.

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 Sun, the Edmonton Sun, the Calgary Sun and the Ottawa Sun.

In January 2020, Al Davies, former V.P. Operations and one of the founders of the Winnipeg Sun in 1980, died at age 71.[13]

As of Monday June 22, 2020 the Sun will no longer publish a printed Monday edition, though the newspaper will still maintain a Monday edition online.[14]

Comic strips

The Sun carries a comics page. Some of the initial comics published in the Sun were Ziggy, Frank and Ernest, Dallas, Ben Swift, John Darling, Graves, Inc., Barbara Cartland's Romances, Heathcliff, The Neighborhood, and Winthrop.

See also

References
  1. "Postmedia to Acquire Sun Media's English Language Newspapers and Digital Properties". Business Wire. October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  2. "Canadian Daily Newspaper Trend Report About Circulation(TRAC) Second Quarter Data: April Through June 2016" (PDF). CCAB: BPA Worldwide. August 15, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  3. "The Winnipeg Tribune's Closing". Winnipeg Free Press. August 27, 1980.
  4. "Brand New Sun Peeks over City's Horizon". Winnipeg Free Press. October 11, 1980.
  5. "Sun Plans To Go Daily April 27". Winnipeg Free Press. March 27, 1981.
  6. "Here Comes the Sunday Sun". The Winnipeg Sun. July 27, 1982.
  7. "Just Call It a SUNshine". The Winnipeg Sun. July 22, 1981.
  8. Cole, Brian (18 February 1982). "New look Winnipeg Sun, Sunday companion on horizon". Winnipeg Free Press.
  9. Scurfield, Maureen (27 July 1982). "SUNday: Here comes the Sunday Sun". The Winnipeg Sun.
  10. "But Will We Get to Church on Time?". The Winnipeg Sun. August 28, 1983.
  11. "The Sun Joins Quebecor Chain". The Winnipeg Sun. February 13, 1983.
  12. "Sun Drops Its Magazine". Winnipeg Free Press. June 30, 1984.
  13. King, Kevin (2020-01-16). "Sun family loses one of our founding fathers". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  14. "Winnipeg Sun going digital only on Mondays". Winnipeg Sun. June 14, 2020.
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