Baltimore Times
The Baltimore Times is a free weekly newspaper founded in 1986 that covers the African-American community in Baltimore County, Maryland. The newspaper circulates to 32,000 people, and its tagline is "positive stories about positive people."[1]
Type | Weekly |
---|---|
Owner(s) | Joy Bramble |
Founded | November 1986 |
Headquarters | 2513 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 |
Website | baltimoretimes-online |
History
The Baltimore Times was founded in November 1986 by Joy and Peter Bramble in their Baltimore home.[2] The Brambles focused coverage on positive stories as a way to counteract negative press of the African American community.[3] In a 2019 interview with Black Enterprise magazine, Joy Bramble described what she recalls thinking when she decided to launch The Baltimore Times:
- "I was looking at the local news one evening listening to the catalog of murders, crime, and mayhem committed reportedly mostly by African Americans. I glanced at the front page of the daily paper on our coffee table with similar headlines. It struck me that the radio news pretty much had the same tune. I realized that if black folks were constantly reading, seeing and hearing that we are criminals it then becomes the self-fulfilling prophecy for young people and the society. I knew so many positive things that were happening in the black community and none of these things ever made the news. My husband and I right there and then decided to start a newspaper that would only publish the positive things happening in the black community: successful young people; working, happy families; churches making a difference; teachers producing students despite lack of resources."[4]
Community activities
The company expanded to offer community workshops and seminars to increase awareness of opportunities related to business, education, healthcare, and finance.[4] Eunice Moseley of The Washington Informer reported that it "was the first company to offer community events in Baltimore that provided free services with its Housing Expo (onsite pre-approvals), Health Expo (free health care screenings), Men’s Expo (free health care screenings) and Women’s Expo (free seminars)."[5]
Positive People Awards
The newspaper founded the Positive People Awards in 1992 to acknowledge leaders in Baltimore.[6]
Times Community Services
In 1998, the Times Community Services was formed as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to philanthropic efforts.[1]
Circulation
The newspaper was originally founded as a monthly publication, but it transitioned to a weekly newspaper one month after its first edition.[1] Due to the popularity of The Baltimore Times, the Brambles began publishing Black-focused newspapers dedicated to other areas of Maryland: The Annapolis Times, The Shore Times, The Prince George's County Times, and The Baltimore County Times.[1]
The newspaper publishes each Friday.[7] In 2020, the Baltimore Times was estimated to have a circulation of 32,000.[7]
Recognition
In 2019, publisher Joy Bramble was honored in Baltimore with a wax figure placed in the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, and a proclamation from the Maryland House and Senate before the unveiling.[5][4]
See also
References
- "About Us | The Baltimore Times Online Newspaper | Positive stories about positive people". The Baltimore Times, Inc. Positive Stories. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
- Brill, Phyllis (April 5, 1992). "Entrepreneurial Priest Rev. Peter Bramble takes his philosophy beyond the pulpit". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- Gately, Gary (September 17, 1991). "New Annapolis Paper to Present 'Positive Stories' About Blacks". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- Webb, Nicole K. (February 5, 2019). "How One Black Woman Built A Media Empire In Baltimore From Her Kitchen Table". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- Moseley, Eunice (May 1, 2019). "Baltimore Times Publisher Joy Bramble Immortalized in Wax". The Washington Informer. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- "Positive People Awards Hosted By Times Community Foundation". The Baltimore Times, Inc. Positive Stories. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- "Baltimore Times newspaper in Baltimore Maryland - MondoTimes.com". www.mondotimes.com. Retrieved 2020-12-02.