SaltWire Network

SaltWire Network Inc. is a Canadian newspaper publishing company owned by the Dennis-Lever family of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Saltwire owns and publishes 35 daily and weekly newspapers in Atlantic Canada.[1]

SaltWire Network Inc.
TypePublic
IndustryMass media
Founded2017 (2017)
Headquarters
Halifax, Nova Scotia
,
Canada
Area served
Atlantic Canada
Key people
Mark Lever, CEO
OwnerDennis family
Websitehttp://saltwire.com/

Combined with the Chronicle Herald's existing community newspaper holdings, in 2017 the company published 35 titles overall, mainly acquired from Transcontinental Media.

History

On April 13, 2017, Halifax's independently-owned The Chronicle Herald announced its acquisition of 27 newspapers in the region from Transcontinental Media, via the newly-formed parent company SaltWire Network.[2] The company had begun a gradual exit from mainstream publishing in order to focus on specialty media and educational publishing.[3] The exact purchase price was not disclosed, although business analysts estimated that the publications were worth approximately $30 million in total.[4] The transaction was criticized by a number of analysts,[5] as it occurred in the middle of a strike by Chronicle Herald employees during which the paper had claimed declining revenues as its reason for demanding major concessions including wage reductions, reduced pension contributions and the removal of several staff divisions from the bargaining unit.[6]

In June 2018, Saltwire Network changed the Carbonear-based weekly newspaper, The Compass, from a subscriber model to a free total market product deliver as a flyer package wrap.

In July 2019, Saltwire Network closed The Beacon, The Advertiser, The Pilot and The Nor'wester, and merged them into a free weekly known as The Central Voice—which began publication on August 1, 2018.[7]

In March 2019, all SaltWire publications introduced metered paywalls.[8]

In March 2019, SaltWire announced the sale of 10 of its buildings across Atlantic Canada.[9]

Also in March 2019, the company terminated its affiliation with the Canadian Press newswire service, opting instead to become a client of Postmedia and Reuters.[10]

In April 2019, SaltWire announced it was turning The Western Star into a weekly delivered free to consumers as a flyer wrap. This resulted in the layoff of around 30 employees. Independent delivery contractors were also affected.[11] At the same time, it was announced that the two Labrador weeklies would merge into one called The Labrador Voice.

In April 2019, SaltWire filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia against Transcontinental, accusing it of overstating and misrepresenting details surrounding the revenue of the papers it had acquired.[12] The company threatened a counter-suit, stating that the sale was "conducted based on fair, accurate and timely information", and accusing SaltWire of failing to "fulfil its payment obligations".[10][13]

Publications

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island

References
  1. "How SaltWire became the largest media group in Atlantic Canada". Global News, April 13, 2017.
  2. "Halifax Chronicle Herald buys Transcontinental papers in Atlantic Canada". Toronto Star, April 13, 2017.
  3. "Transcontinental selling 93 newspapers in Ontario and Quebec". CBC News. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  4. "Big deal a shocker: Herald’s purchase of Transcontinental assets surprises observers". The Chronicle Herald, April 13, 2017.
  5. "Chronicle Herald buys all Atlantic Canadian Transcontinental papers". CBC News Nova Scotia, April 13, 2017.
  6. "Labour minister defends article in striking Chronicle Herald". CBC News Nova Scotia, November 16, 2016.
  7. Jul 09, CBC News · Posted; July 9, 2018 12:49 PM NT | Last Updated; 2018. "'No pleasure' in amalgamating 4 community newspapers, says SaltWire | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 2019-03-26.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. "SaltWire launching metered paywall Monday". Cape Breton Post. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  9. "SaltWire puts number of its newspaper buildings up for sale | The Telegram". www.thetelegram.com. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  10. "Transcontinental defends sale of East Coast newspapers to SaltWire in wake of lawsuit". The Globe and Mail. 12 April 2019.
  11. "The Western Star goes weekly | The Western Star". www.thewesternstar.com. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  12. "SaltWire sues former newspaper chain owner over revenue 'misrepresentation'". CBC News. April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  13. "Transcontinental defends its sale of Atlantic Canada media assets". CBC News. Canadian Press. April 11, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
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