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The Telegram

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The Telegram
TypeWeekly newspaper (formerly daily)
FormatBroadsheet
OwnerPostmedia Network
EditorJennifer Vardy Little
Founded1879, as The Evening Telegram
Political alignment
Centre
Headquarters36 Austin Street
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
A1B 3T7
Circulation24,311 weekdays
37,975 Saturdays (as of 2010)[1]
ISSN1487-6019
Websitethetelegram.com

The Telegram is a weekly newspaper in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, published by Postmedia Network. First published in 1879, it was the first and longest-running daily in Newfoundland.

In August 2024, following its sale to Postmedia, the paper ceased daily publication and began to only publish print editions on Fridays. Its website, however, continues to update daily.

History

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The Evening Telegram was first published on April 3, 1879, by William James Herder. It adopted its current name in 1998, although it was also briefly published under this name in 1881. Herder and his descendants owned and published The Evening Telegram until it was sold to Thomson Newspapers (later Thomson Corporation) in 1970, and continued as publishers until the departure of Stephen R. Herder (William's grandson) in 1991.

William Herder began as a printer for the St. John's weekly The Courier. When it folded in 1878, Herder purchased one of the presses and began his own newspaper.[2] The Telegram was notable as the first daily (excluding Sundays) in Newfoundland. It is also the only 19th-century Newfoundland newspaper to survive into the 20th (and now 21st) century. Over the course of its history, the paper has published news, stories and editorials of interest to readers in the dominion, and later province, of Newfoundland, and St. John's in particular. Coverage of the St. John's Great Fire of 1892 was hampered as the Evening Telegram head office on Duckworth Street was completely destroyed in the fire. Despite heavy losses, Herder rebuilt and was published from a temporary location on Water Street less than two months later.

In May 1996, Thomson sold to the paper to Hollinger Inc. as one of several transactions between the companies in the mid-1990s.[3] In 2000, the paper was included in the newspaper assets that Hollinger sold to Canwest.[4] Less than two years later, Canwest sold its newspapers in Atlantic Canada to printing company Transcontinental.[5]

On April 13, 2017, Transcontinental announced that it had sold all of its newspapers in Atlantic Canada to SaltWire Network, a newly formed parent company of The Chronicle Herald in Halifax.[6][7][8]

In April 2021, it was announced by SaltWire that The Telegram's standalone website would merge into SaltWire.com effective April 20.[9]

Sale to Postmedia, transition to weekly

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In July 2024, after filing for creditor protection, SaltWire announced its sale of most of its assets to Postmedia Network.[10] The sale, which closed August 24, included The Telegram but not its printing press, which would be decommissioned and closed.[11][12] On August 21, 2024, The Telegram announced that it would cut print distribution to once per-week, with daily news coverage continuing online. Its final daily print edition was published on August 24, and weekly publication on Fridays began on August 30.[13]

Following the completion of the Postmedia acquisition, it was confirmed that the weekly paper would be printed outside the province and mailed to subscribers.[14] Other daily newspapers that were part of the transaction but are closer to the production facility, including The Guardian in Charlottetown, continued to publish at least five days a week following the sale.[15] Physical distribution was paused entirely later that year during the 2024 Canada Post strike, though digital replicas were still produced for online distribution.[16]

Politics

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In the 19th century, The Evening Telegram was known for its strong opinions on issues of the day, including the Newfoundland Railway, and early Confederation discussions. However, its editorial policy remained neutral during the heated Confederation debates of 1948/49. The same could not be said of former Evening Telegram reporter Joey Smallwood, who worked for the paper from 1919 to 1922 (including a short stint as editor in 1923). After his association with The Evening Telegram, Smallwood went on to found the pro-Confederation newspaper The Confederate, lead Newfoundland into confederation with Canada, and become the first premier of the new province of Newfoundland. As Premier, Smallwood had a rocky relationship with The Telegram, bringing a series of libel suits against it and threatening to withdraw all government advertising.

The paper has not explicitly endorsed candidates during recent general elections. It does not shy away from political criticism, however, and in the late 2000s, under Transcontinental ownership, the paper had been quite critical at various times of both the federal Conservatives under Stephen Harper,[17] and to a lesser extent the provincial Progressive Conservatives under Danny Williams.[18] However, during the same period, it did not express any particular confidence in opposing parties such as the Liberals.[19]

Notable Staff and Community Ties

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The Telegram's current managing editor is Jennifer Vardy Little.[20]

Well-known former Telegram journalists include Russell Wangersky, Harold Horwood, Ray Guy,[2] and Albert Perlin. Other notable contributors to The Telegram include former editor and author Michael Harrington, artist Rae Perlin, writer/playwright Joan Sullivan, columnist Gwynne Dyer, former Newfoundland Prime Minister William F. Lloyd and former provincial NDP leader Peter Fenwick. The Telegram is the original publication venue of the monthly church history column by Dr Hans Rollmann.[21]

Telegram sports editor Robin Short, whose career at the newspaper spanned 36 years before his death in 2021, was posthumously inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame[22] and awarded a Premier's Medal for Arts, Heritage, Sports and Recreation.[23]

In 2025, Telegram justice reporter Tara Bradbury was named winner of the inaugural Mike Critch Excellence in Crime Reporting Award, a prize established by Canadian actor/comedian/writer Mark Critch in honour of his late father, longtime radio journalist Mike Critch, and administered by the Atlantic Journalism Awards.[24]

The Telegram has sponsored the Tely 10 Mile Road Race annually since 1927, and the provincial men's senior hockey trophy, the Herder Cup, is named for William Herder.[2]

The Telegram presented The Cuffer Prize, an annual literary contest, between 2008 and 2015. Overseen by editor/columnist Pam Frampton, the prize celebrated short fiction set in Newfoundland and Labrador, by new and established writers in the region. Winners include Joel Thomas Hynes[25] and Eva Crocker[26] . Top selections from the entries were published by Creative Book Publishing in annual editions of The Cuffer Anthology, with a portion of the sale proceeds donated to Literacy Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Telegram is Newfoundland and Labrador's largest newspaper, and published seven days a week from 1989 to 2008, when it reverted to a single weekend paper published on Saturday as The Weekend Telegram. Its tagline is "The People's Paper", accompanied by the provincial flag. The title is printed in Old English Text font.

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Canadian Circulations Audit Board Circulation Report for January to December 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2012. (registration required)
  2. 1 2 3 Porter, Stephanie. "Basically, He's Still Around - William J. Herder Founded The Evening Telegram and Started a Dynasty". The Newfoundland and Labrador Independent, September 4–10, 2005: 1-2
  3. ↑ Fitzgerald, Mark (May 11, 1996). "Thomson pares down further". Editor & Publisher. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via TheFreeLibrary.
  4. ↑ "CanWest acquires Hollinger newspapers". UPI. July 31, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Under new management: the headline for some newspapers". CBCNews.ca. July 10, 2002. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Chronicle Herald buys all Atlantic Canadian Transcontinental papers". CBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "Transcontinental sells The Guardian, Journal Pioneer". CBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  8. ↑ "The Chronicle Herald acquires Transcontinental Inc.'s newspapers, news websites and four printing plants in Atlantic Canada". The Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  9. ↑ "EDITORIAL: SaltWire's got a brand new website". SaltWire Network. April 20, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Postmedia enters agreement to buy SaltWire chain of newspapers". CBC News. July 26, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Postmedia sending 'radio silence' about future of St. John's Telegram, says union head and journalist". CBC News. Aug 13, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Stop the presses: Telegram printing staff brace for closure of N.L.'s last press". CBC News. August 17, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Note to Telegram readers". SaltWire.com. August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  14. ↑ Whitten, Elizabeth (September 3, 2024). "Expect less N.L. content in the Telegram under new Postmedia owner, says journalism prof". CBC News. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  15. ↑ Ross, Shane (August 26, 2024). "P.E.I.'s Guardian, Journal Pioneer expected to publish as usual as Postmedia sale finalized". CBC News PEI. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  16. ↑ Vardy Little, Jennifer (November 19, 2024). "EDITORIAL: We appreciate the support from our readers, and despite the postal strike, The Telegram is still here for you". SaltWire.com. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  17. ↑ For example: Mr. Harper, the facts do matter, April 14, 2007, and Closing the barn door, October 10, 2008
  18. ↑ For example: Burke's blunder, July 31, 2008
  19. ↑ For example: Don't bank on Dion's promise, April 24, 2007
  20. ↑ Head, Jenna (July 3, 2023). "20 Questions with Telegram managing editor Jennifer Vardy Little". PNI Atlantic. Retrieved July 3, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ "SaltWire | Newfoundland & Labrador".
  22. ↑ "ROBIN SHORT". HockeyNL. 2026-07-03. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
  23. ↑ "Premier's Medals – Recipient List 2025". Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. May 22, 2026. Retrieved July 3, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ↑ "Telegram staff brings home four gold awards from Atlantic Journalism Awards". pniatlantic. Archived from the original on 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
  25. ↑ "Cuffer Prize Winners Announced". PNI Atlantic. November 18, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ↑ "Eva Crocker wins Cuffer Prize for short fiction". PNI Atlantic. Retrieved July 3, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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