Kamloops Daily News shuts doors after more than 80 years
By Nelson Daily Staff
Monday in Kamloops, Glacier Media decided to cease publication of the Kamloops Daily News after more than 80 years.
“Personally I am very saddened to make this announcement,” said The Daily News publisher Tim Shoults on the company website.
“We have struggled for the last several years, worked tirelessly and taken many difficult steps along the way which were designed to ensure our future. Unfortunately the realities of our industry, our local advertising market and our labour situation were too great for us to overcome.“
The Daily News provided notice under Section 54 of the B.C. Labour Code to unionized staff.
The Media Union of B.C., which represents the workers, said the newspaper’s parent company Glacier Media gave the members notice of its plans to stop publication within the next 60 days.
The Daily News, with a circulation of 27,000 in Kamloops, is the only daily newspaper in Kamloops.
It is believed there is 34 full-time staff at the daily as well as 12 contracted delivery drivers.
“We recognize that this decision severely affects our staff and their families and our hearts go out to them as they deal with the shock and loss this decision creates,” Shoults said.
“We are offering our staff counseling on site at The Daily News if they wish to take advantage of it.“
Shoults during the 80 years The Daily News has accomplished some great things along the way and have made our community a better place to live in countless ways.
“Over the years we have supported hundreds of community groups with millions of dollars in free advertising and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy causes through our Raise a Reader and Christmas Cheer campaigns,” he said.
“Most importantly, we have made our community more informed and more enlightened through award-winning coverage for decades.”
In October, Glacier Media came under public criticism for contracting out its contract ad production to India and the Philippines for a number of publications in B.C., including The Daily News in Kamloops.
The decision resulted in the loss of five non-unionized staff.
In July of 2010, Glacier Media sold the Nelson Daily News to Black Press, which in turned closed the operations of the daily newspaper after more than 100 years in favour of a twice-weekly product putting more than 25 people out of work.
Glacier Media publishes 83 newspapers in Western Canada including 32 in BC. Seven of those are daily newspapers in Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Victoria, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Prince George and Kamloops.
