Western Morning News
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | Northcliffe Media (part of DMGT) |
| Editor | Alan Qualtrough |
| News editor | Steve Grant |
| Founded | 3 January 1860 |
| Political alignment | Independent right-of-centre; historically Liberal |
| Headquarters | Derriford, Plymouth |
| Sister newspapers | The Herald |
| Website | www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk |
The Western Morning News is a politically independent daily regional newspaper founded in 1860 and covering Devon and Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset.
Organisation
The Western Morning News is published by South West Media Group (formerly known as Westcountry Publications), a division of the Northcliffe Newspapers Group. Its main office is based in Plymouth and it has journalists based in offices in Truro, Bodmin, Penzance, Torquay, Barnstaple and Exeter. It also has a London editor based in Westminster. Alan Qualtrough is editor of the Western Morning News, while Philip Bowern in deputy editor. Steve Grant is news editor, Mark Stevens is Sports Editor and Scott Harrison is web editor.
History
The Western Morning News was founded by William Saunders and Edward Spender, father of Sir Wilfrid Spender, on 3 January 1860.[1] It has been published continuously since 1860, including throughout the 1926 General Strike and the Plymouth Blitz.[1] By 1920, however, the Devon newspaper market was getting cramped, with all papers running into financial difficulties. In the same year, Sir Leicester Harmsworth acquired the Western Morning News; from 1 February 1921, the Western Daily Mercury and Western Evening Herald were also taken over, with the papers continuing to be published from the old Mercury offices in Frankfort Street. Shortly before World War II, new offices were constructed on the same site after the demolition of the previous premises; the modern construction allowed the offices to survive the Blitz and publishing continued there until the move to Derriford.
On 8 February 1997, the Morning News followed most local newspapers in the UK and changed format from broadsheet to tabloid.
Readership and website
The Western Morning News is published six days a week, Monday to Saturday, and it aims to provide readers with all the regional, national and international news they need, with a consistent editorial standpoint. The paper also prides itself on the supplements it provides, which cover a vast range of topics, including:
- Western Morning Views (Tuesday)
- Living Cornwall (Tuesday)
- Westcountry Farming (Wednesday)
- WoMaN (Wednesday)
- Westcountry Business (Thursday)
- Westcountry Motoring (Friday)
- Westcountry Horses (Friday)
- Out & About (Friday)
- Westcountry Antiques (Saturday)
- Westcountry Property (Saturday)
- Westcountry Weekend (Saturday)
It also operates a 24-hour news service through its website [1].
See also
References
- ^ a b Western Morning News at PlymouthData.info