Neepawa Banner
The Neepawa Banner was established in 1989 by Ken and Christine Waddell in Neepawa, Manitoba. Its first edition was printed on Oct. 29, 1989 and included an initial print run of 3,000 copies distributed to the town of Neepawa and surrounding communities.
The Banner office was originally located in the Moyer Dental building on Mountain Avenue and employed a staff of four. In 1990, the Banner moved to 272 Hamilton Street and later in the ‘90s, to 275 Hamilton Street in Hamilton Square (currently the Town of Neepawa office). In 1998, the paper once again moved, this time to its current location at 243 Hamilton Street.
In 1993, the Neepawa Banner expanded into the town of Rivers, Manitoba with the purchase of the Rivers Gazette-Reporter and renamed it the Rivers Banner. For a short period of time, a third paper, the Hamiota Banner, was established in the town of Hamiota. It operated from 1992-1995. [1]
By 2014, the Neepawa Banner had established its weekly circulation numbers at 8036 [2] copies. It is currently one of the largest circulation weeklies in rural Manitoba. and largest rural weekly in western Manitoba.
In September 2015, the Banner purchased its competition and one of Manitoba’s oldest community newspapers, the Neepawa Press.
The Neepawa Press, which first published in 1896, has been sold by B.C.-based Glacier Media Group to Ken and Christine Waddell. The Press continues to publish weekly, albeit with some changes in format and distribution.
In 2015, the Banner employs a workforce of seven full-time employees, several columnists as well as numerous part-time workers who perform flyer stuffing and newspaper distribution duties.
References
- ↑ 1 - The Beautiful Plains Story 1983-2008
- ↑ 2 - Verified circulation numbers September 6, 2014. The Canadian Community Newspaper Association