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A note from Advocate publisher Fred Gorman

Not every newspaper business should be painted with the same brush.We heard this week from PostMedia of their plans to discontinue their Sunday editions in Edmonton and Calgary. Those moves have prompted a conversation for many about the challenges facing the newspaper industry across North America.
Photo by RANDY FIEDLER/Advocate staff
Fred Gorman, Advocate publisher
Advocate publisher Fred Gorman

Not every newspaper business should be painted with the same brush.

We heard this week from PostMedia of their plans to discontinue their Sunday editions in Edmonton and Calgary. Those moves have prompted a conversation for many about the challenges facing the newspaper industry across North America.

I felt it was necessary to respond from a Central Alberta perspective to avoid confusion and to make it clear that the Red Deer Advocate does not have the same problems as Alberta’s large market dailies.

Black Press Group Ltd. owns the Advocate. We are Canada’s largest independent community newspaper publisher, with holdings in Western Canada, Ohio, Hawaii and Washington State. Our business model is to own and publish a cluster of newspapers surrounding an efficient press centre.

To that end in Red Deer, Black Press owns and operates the Red Deer Advocate, Central Alberta Life, Sunday Life, TV Today, Your House Your Home, Sylvan Lake News, Eckville Echo, Stettler Independent, Stettler Weekender, Bashaw Star, Castor Advance, Rimbey Review, Ponoka News, Red Deer Express, Alberta Stockman Farmer Advisor, Alberta Stockman Farmer Agvisor, Saskatchewan FarmLife , Manitoba FarmLIfe and all the accompanying websites.

We also offer commercial print services, with some notable local customers being Red Deer Co-op, Red Deer County and the Rocky Mountaineer newspaper.

The Black Press focus is on smaller markets, where we produce award-winning newspapers with excellent, dedicated staff and management.

Our Central Alberta track record is a testament to that philosophy: the Advocate recently swept the top three national awards for best special sections while Ponoka and Stettler won awards from the Canadian and Alberta community newspaper associations.

Certainly business can be challenging at times, but that is no different than any other business experience out there. Our company adapts to market changes and technology but always with an eye to serving the community and ensuring the long-term success of our newspapers.

Central Alberta is vibrant, economically and socially, and our papers are committed to telling the many stories that weave the fabric of where we live and work.

This region is a key component to the success of our company and we are dedicated to serving our markets with quality products.

We believe strongly in the printed product, demonstrated by our recent acquisitions of the Sylvan Lake and Eckville newspapers. We have a vital role in informing readers, promoting advertisers and connecting the two to promote a strong economy.

We see newspapers as a growth opportunity and there is no better community to grow with than Central Alberta.

Fred Gorman

Publisher

Red Deer Advocate