English regional newspaper
Western Morning News front page, January 7 2023
Western Morning News front page, December 3 1918
The
Western Morning News
is a daily
regional newspaper
founded in 1860, and covering the
West Country
including
Devon
,
Cornwall
, the
Isles of Scilly
and parts of
Somerset
and
Dorset
in the South West of England.
Organisation
[
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]
The
Western Morning News
is published by
Reach Plc
. Its main office is based in
Plymouth
. Charlie Elder is Editor.
History
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]
The
Western Morning News
was founded on 3 January 1860, by
William Saunders
and Edward Spender, father of Sir
Wilfrid Spender
. It has been published continuously since the first edition, including throughout the
1926 General Strike
and the
Plymouth Blitz
.
[2]
By 1920, the Devon newspaper market was getting cramped, with all papers running into financial difficulties. In the same year, Sir
Leicester Harmsworth
acquired the
Western Morning News
; from 1 February 1921, the
Western Daily Mercury
and
Western Evening Herald
were also taken over, with the papers continuing to be published from the old
Mercury
offices in Frankfort Street, Plymouth. Shortly before
World War II
, new offices were constructed on the same site after the demolition of the previous premises; the modern construction allowed the offices to survive the Blitz and publishing continued there until a move in 1993 to a purpose-built building in Derriford, Plymouth, designed by architect
Nicholas Grimshaw
. In 2013, the Western Morning News and sister title
The Herald
(Plymouth) moved into offices in Millbay Road in the centre of the city.
On 8 February 1997, the
Western Morning News
followed most local newspapers in the UK and changed format from
broadsheet
to
tabloid
. In 2012,
Local World
acquired the ownership of Northcliffe Media from
Daily Mail and General Trust
,
[3]
The paper had a Sunday edition from June 2014 until January 2016.
[4]
In November 2015, Trinity Mirror purchased Local World. In 2018 Trinity Mirror rebranded as Reach Plc.
Reach Plc
is one of Britain's biggest newspaper groups. Previous editors of the Western Morning News include Colin Davidson, Barrie Williams, Alan Qualtrough, Bill Martin and Philip Bowern.
Readership and website
[
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]
The
Western Morning News
is published six days a week and provides readers with regional, national and international news. Supplements cover a range of topics, including Farming on Wednesday and Property in the Saturday edition, which also includes Antiques, Puzzles and lifestyle magazine West. The newspaper's Reach Plc sister websites in the Westcountry are www.devonlive.com, www.cornwalllive.com and www.plymouthlive.co.uk.
In literature
[
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]
Sherlock Holmes
: "The detection of [printing] types is one of the most elementary branches of knowledge to the special expert in crime, though I confess that once when I was very young I confused the
Leeds Mercury
with the Western Morning News." (
The Hound of the Baskervilles
, Ch. 5).
See also
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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Daily newspapers
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Paid weekly newspapers
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Selected free papers
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