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Cape Breton Post

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Cape Breton Post
Front page of the June 5, 2020 edition
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Postmedia Network
EditorCarl Fleming[1]
Founded1901
LanguageEnglish
Circulation22,245 weekdays
21,869 Saturdays (as of 2010)[2]
ISSN0839-4970
Websitewww.capebretonpost.com

The Cape Breton Post is the only daily newspaper published on Cape Breton Island. Founded in Sydney, Nova Scotia, in 1901,[3] it specializes in local coverage of news, events, and sports from communities in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and the counties of Inverness, Richmond and Victoria.[4]

History

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Predecessors and establishment

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The Cape Breton Post evolved from the earlier independent Sydney Post-Record (1933-1956),[5] owned by John Stewart McLennan,[6] which resulted from a merger of the morning and evening editions of the Liberal paper the Sydney Record (originated as a weekly in 1884) and the Conservative Sydney Daily Post (originated as a weekly in 1896; became a daily paper on March 8, 1901,[7] purchased by Mclennan in 1904). With the amalgamation of these two papers in January 1933[8] the Post-Record became a politically independent daily, with a circulation increasing from approximately 7,200 to 27,000 by 1951. The Post-Record primarily covered Cape Breton County, with some coverage of the rest of Cape Breton Island and the eastern Nova Scotia mainland. The Post-Record’s name was changed to its current name, The Cape Breton Post, in July 1956 to better reflect the broader scope of its coverage. The very first issue of the Cape Breton Post was published on July 14, 1956.

Sale to Hollinger

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The Cape Breton Post was acquired by Thomson Newspapers at the end of 1971.[9] In September 1996 Thompson sold its group of Maritime papers, including the Post, to Vancouver-based Hollinger Inc., which also owned the Southam Inc. chain.[10][11]

Transcontinental Media purchase

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Canwest, after acquiring Southam in November 2000, which included the Cape Breton Post, examined ways to integrate many of its smaller market papers into its Global television news division; however, it wasn't to be. On August 10, 2002, Canwest sold eight Atlantic Canada and two Saskatchewan daily newspapers, 34 community papers, and two printing plants to Transcontinental Media including the Cape Breton Post, and St. John's The Telegram.[12] The deal allowed Transcontinental to use its newly acquired Summerside, Prince Edward Island plant to print the Atlantic Canada version of the National Post.[13]

Circulation

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According to figures via Canadian Newspaper Association, the Cape Breton Post's average weekday circulation for 2015 was 16,972, while on Saturdays it was 16,319.[14] Because of the relatively small population of Cape Breton Island, that meant that over 12% of the population could be receiving the paper and its advertisements. Like most Canadian daily newspapers, the Cape Breton Post has seen a decline in circulation, dropping its total by 25% to 106,473 copies daily from 2008 to 2015.[15]

Daily average[15]
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

Saltwire aquisition

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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.[16][17][18]

On 29 November 2018 Saltwire Network announced the closure of its press in Sydney, with the printing of the Cape Breton Post moved to the company’s press in Halifax.[19]

Cease print edition of Cape Breton Post on Mondays

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On 3 October 2022, SaltWire Network announced they would cease publishing a print version of the Cape Breton Post on Mondays. Alon with the Post, three other Satwire publications were impacted, The Chronicle Herald in Halifax, The Guardian in Charlottetown, P.E.I., and The Telegram in St. Johns. Digital editions will continue on Mondays.

The announcement took effect on 17 October, but as in the past, there was no print publication on Thanksgiving Monday.[20]

Postmedia's takeover

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In March 2024, Saltwire declared bankruptcy.[21] Postmedia Network bought the remains of Saltwire in late summer 2024, including the Cape Breton Post.[22] About a month after Postmedia's takeover, major layoffs occurred in management, editorial staff, and writers, including cartoonist Michael de Adder which also resulted in local content being replaced by advertisements.[23]

The Post's most recent headquarters in Sydney was put up for sale in October 2024 as the paper is no longer printed in Sydney, but at the same printing press as the Halifax Chronicle Herald on the mainland.[22][24] This building, built for the Post in 1985, is located at the corner of Dorchester and George Streets, and is just a short distance from the former brick and concreteSydney Post-Record building at 75 Dorchester Street, which still still stands.[25]

Notable staff

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  • H.P. Duchemin, who started the predecessor publication as the Sydney Daily Post in 1899/1901[26]
  • Roy Duchemin, son of H.P. Duchemin, who took over as publisher in the early 1940s.[26]
  • Night editor Bob Duchemin (1965 – 2010, son of Roy, grandson of H.P.)[26]
  • Associate editor, Doug McGee (1984 – 2010)[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Masthead". Cape Breton Post. Sydney, Nova Scotia: Postmedia Network. 17 October 2024. p. 2. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  2. ^ Canadian Circulations Audit Board Circulation Report for January to December 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2012. (registration required)
  3. ^ "Masthead". Cape Breton Post. Toronto: PNI Atlantic News. December 20, 2024. p. B4.
  4. ^ "Our Team". capebretonpost.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  5. ^ "Sydney Post Record (1933)". University of New Brunswick Libraries. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  6. ^ Johnston, A. J. B. "McLENNAN, JOHN STEWART". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. University of Toronto and Université Laval. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Sydney Daily Post (1901)". University of New Brunswick Libraries. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  8. ^ MacIntosh, Ian; et al. "Pre-War Years: 1900-1914". The McLennans of Petersfield. Cape Breton Regional Library. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Thompson buys Daily Sydney". Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper. 7 December 1971. Retrieved 26 March 2025. The Cape Breton Post this City's only daily newspaper announced monday it has been som to Thomson newspapers Ltd.
  10. ^ "THOMSON SELLS PAPERS TO HOLLINGER". Adnews. Rob Bale. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  11. ^ Jackson, Joseph. "NEWSPAPER OWNERSHIP IN CANADA: AN OVERVIEW OF THE DAVEY COMMITTEE AND KENT COMMISSION STUDIES". Government of Canada. p. 48. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  12. ^ Silcoff, Sean (11 July 2002). "GTC buys 44 CanWest publications". Financial Post. Toronto: Canwest. p. FP4. ISSN 0838-8431. Retrieved 26 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ CBC Staff (10 July 2002). "CanWest sells papers to Transcontinental for $255 million". CBC News. Montreal: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  14. ^ "2015 Daily Newspapers Circulation Report" (PDF). News Media Canada. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Daily Newspaper Circulation Data". News Media Canada. Retrieved 26 March 2025. Figures refer to the total circulation (print and digital combined), which includes paid and unpaid copies.
  16. ^ "Chronicle Herald buys all Atlantic Canadian Transcontinental papers". CBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  17. ^ "Transcontinental sells The Guardian, Journal Pioneer". CBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  18. ^ "The Chronicle Herald acquires Transcontinental Inc.'s newspapers, news websites and four printing plants in Atlantic Canada". The Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  19. ^ Fleming, Carl (29 November 2018). "New printing location for Cape Breton Post". Cape Breton Post. Saltwire. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  20. ^ "SaltWire Network ceases printing Monday papers for daily publications". Cape Breton Post. Saltwire. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  21. ^ Thomas, Jesse (13 March 2024). "Chronicle Herald, SaltWire business issues traced back to 2017". CTV News Atlantic. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Bell Media. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  22. ^ a b Rhodes, Blair (17 October 2024). "Deal reached for sale of former newspaper building in Cape Breton". CBC News. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  23. ^ Edge, Marc (17 October 2024). "Postmedia's cuts to newspapers in Atlantic Canada begin to hurt". Canadian Dimension. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Dimension Publications Inc. ISSN 0008-3402. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  24. ^ Rhodes, Blair (24 March 2025). "Former Saltwire newspaper buildings still on the market in N.S. months after Postmedia takeover". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  25. ^ Shannon, Chris (29 January 2018). "Starting from scratch in downtown Sydney". Cape Breton Post. Saltwire. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  26. ^ a b c d "So long, farewell: Post says goodbye to Bob and Doug". Cape Breton Post. Saltwire. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
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