Sun Media


Sun Media Corporation was the owner of several tabloid and broadsheet newspapers in Canada and the 49% owner of the now defunct Sun News Network. It was a subsidiary of Quebecor Media.
On October 6, 2014, Quebecor Media announced the sale of the remaining English-language print assets of Sun Media to rival Postmedia. The sale included neither the Sun News Network, which subsequently closed when a buyer was not found, nor Quebecor's French-language papers Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec. The sale was approved by the federal Competition Bureau on March 25, 2015, and closed on April 13. Canoe Sun Media merged with Postmedia rather than being maintained as a separate division.
Quebecor had previously sold its community newspapers in Quebec to TC Transcontinental in June 2014, under a deal first announced in December 2013.
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History

Sun Publishing was formed on February 4, 1978 through the amalgamation of Toronto Sun Holdings Ltd and Toronto Sun Publishing Ltd. The two companies had been formed in 1971 with the launch of the Toronto Sun by former staffers of the defunct Toronto Telegram. On February 14, 1978, the Edmonton Sun, the second member of what would become the Sun chain, was announced through a partnership of Sun Media and Edmonton Sun Publishing Ltd. The paper was launched on April 2, 1978. In 1981, the outstanding shares of Edmonton Sun Publishing Ltd were acquired by Sun Media. The company purchased the Calgary Albertan on July 31, 1980 for $1.3 million and relaunched it days later as the Calgary Sun, with the same format and appearance as its sister papers.
In 1979, it purchased the United Press International's Canadian subsidiary, the former British United Press. It ran the news agency for several years before selling it to Canadian Press in 1985.
In 1983, 50% of Sun Media was acquired by Maclean-Hunter for $55 million. That same year, Sun Media, with Maclean-Hunter's backing, acquired the Houston Post for $100 million in an attempt to expand into the United States. It was sold for $150 million four years later. In 1987, Maclean-Hunter's Financial Post weekly was sold to Sun Media for $46 million and was relaunched as a daily tabloid financial newspaper the following year. In 1988, Sun Media acquired the Ottawa Sunday Herald which it would relaunch as the daily Ottawa Sun.
In 1994, Maclean-Hunter was purchased by Rogers Communications. Two years later, on October 4, 1996, the management of the Sun chain under the leadership of Paul Godfrey purchased Rogers' share of the Sun Publishing and renamed the company Sun Media. In 1998, the Financial Post was sold to Southam Inc. in exchange for the Hamilton Spectator, the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, the Guelph Mercury, and the Cambridge Reporter. Also in 1998, Sun Media was purchased by Quebecor and maintained as a wholly owned subsidiary of it. Godfrey had sought out Quebecor as a "white knight" in order to frustrate an attempted hostile takeover by the Sun's longtime rival, the Toronto Star. In 1999, Quebecor sold the four recently acquired southern Ontario newspapers to the owners of the Toronto Star and became part of its Metroland Media Group. Southam, owned by Conrad Black, would relaunch the Financial Post as the National Post. In 2007, Sun Media acquired and absorbed the Osprey Media chain of small English language newspapers mostly based in Ontario. In 2014, after years of cuts and restructuring, Quebecor sold its Sun Media division to Postmedia which, ironically, had former Sun Media CEO Paul Godfrey as its chief executive. The sale was completed in April 2015 and Sun Media was dissolved with its newspapers being absorbed by the Postmedia chain.

Sun Media publications

''Sun'' newspapers

Calgary SunEdmonton SunOttawa SunToronto Sun

''Le Journal'' newspapers

Le Journal de Montréal

''24hrs'' newspapers

24heures Montreal24hrs Toronto24hrs Vancouver

Local daily newspapers

Alberta

The Daily Herald-Tribune - Grande PrairieFort McMurray Today - Fort McMurray

Manitoba

Portage Daily Graphic - Portage la Prairie

Ontario

Belleville Intelligencer - BellevilleBrantford Expositor - BrantfordChatham Daily News - ChathamCornwall Standard Freeholder - CornwallKingston Whig Standard - KingstonLondon Free Press - LondonNiagara Falls Review - Niagara FallsNorth Bay Nugget - North BayNorthumberland Today - CobourgOrillia Packet and Times - OrilliaOwen Sound Sun Times - Owen SoundPembroke Daily Observer - PembrokePeterborough Examiner - PeterboroughSarnia Observer - SarniaSault Star - Sault Ste. MarieSimcoe Reformer - SimcoeSt. Catharines Standard - St. CatharinesSt. Thomas Times-Journal - St. ThomasSudbury Star - SudburyThe Barrie Examiner - BarrieThe Beacon Herald - StratfordThe Recorder & Times - BrockvilleTimmins Daily Press - TimminsWelland Tribune - WellandWoodstock Sentinel-Review - Woodstock

Weekly newspapers

Alberta

Airdrie Echo - AirdrieBow Valley Crag & Canyon - BanffCamrose Canadian - CamroseCochrane Times - CochraneCold Lake Sun - Cold LakeCounty Market - LeducDevon Dispatch - DevonDrayton Valley Western Review - Drayton ValleyEdmonton Examiner - EdmontonEdson Leader - EdsonFairview Post - FairviewFort Saskatchewan Record - Fort SaskatchewanHanna Herald - HannaHigh River Times - High RiverHinton Parklander - HintonLacombe Globe - LacombeLeduc Representative - LeducMayerthorpe Freelancer - MayerthorpeMeridian Booster - LloydminsterNanton News - NantonPeace Country Sun - Grande PrairiePeace River Record-Gazette - Peace RiverPincher Creek Echo - Pincher CreekSherwood Park News - Sherwood ParkSpruce Grove Examiner - Spruce GroveStony Plain Reporter - Stony PlainStrathmore Standard - StrathmoreThe Beaumont News - BeaumontVermilion Standard - VermilionVulcan Advocate - VulcanWetaskiwin Times - WetaskiwinWhitecourt Star - Whitecourt

Manitoba

Altona Red River Valley Echo - AltonaCarman Valley Leader - CarmanInterlake Spectator - GimliMorden Times - MordenSelkirk Journal - SelkirkStonewall Argus and Teulon Times - StonewallWinkler Times - Winkler

Ontario

Bancroft This Week - BancroftBarry's Bay This Week - Barry's BayBradford West Gwillimbury Times - BradfordChatham This Week - ChathamClinton News-Record - ClintonCochrane Times-Post - CochraneCollingwood Enterprise Bulletin - CollingwoodCounty Weekly News - Prince Edward CountyElliot Lake Standard - Elliot LakeFort Erie Times - Fort ErieFrontenac This Week - KingstonGananoque Reporter - GananoqueGoderich Signal Star - GoderichHaliburton Echo - HaliburtonHanover Post - HanoverIngersoll Times - IngersollInnisfil Examiner - InnisfilInPort News - Port ColborneKapuskasing Times - KapuskasingKenora Daily Miner and News - KenoraKincardine News - KincardineKingston This Week - KingstonLakeshore Advance - Grand BendLake of the Woods Enterprise - KenoraLeader-Spirit - DresdenLucknow Sentinel - LucknowMid-North Monitor - EspanolaPetrolia Topic - Petrolia

Saskatchewan

Melfort Journal - MelfortNipawin Journal - Nipawin

Other publications

Magazines

Biz MagazineBusiness LondonHamilton Halton WeddingsHamilton MagazineKingston LifeMuskoka Cottage Home PropertyMuskoka MagazineMuskoka TrailsNiagara MagazineOntario FarmerSault Good LifeSimcoe LifeVines Magazine

Former assets

The following publications have been closed by Sun Media:24 Hours in Ottawa, Calgary and EdmontonCanmore Leader, Canmore, Alberta 'Banff Crag & Canyon, Banff, Alberta 'The Beausejour Review, Beausejour, ManitobaThe Lac du Bonnet Leader, Lac du Bonnet, ManitobaThe Lindsay Daily Post, Lindsay, OntarioMidland Free Press, Midland, OntarioL'Action Régionale Montérégie, Montérégie, QuébecLe Magazine Saint-Lambert, Saint-Lambert, QuebecLe Progrès de Bellechasse, Bellechasse, QuebecThe Meadow Lake Progress, Meadow Lake, SaskatchewanThe Crowsnest Pass Promoter, Crowsnest Pass, Alberta

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