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Brunswick News
Brunswick News Inc. (BNI) was a Canadian newspaper publishing company based on Bloor Street in Toronto. Once privately owned by James K. Irving and based in Saint John, New Brunswick, it was sold to Postmedia Network in 2022.
BNI was incorporated in December 1998, absorbing Summit Publishing and New Brunswick Publishing Ltd., two newspaper publishing companies already owned by members of New Brunswick's Irving family. The two companies controlled all the daily newspapers in New Brunswick's three major cities. Brunswick News Inc. was created as subsidiary of Otter Brook Holdings, which had been incorporated in 1997.
In 1936 the New Brunswick industrialist K. C. Irving purchased the Saint John weekly Maritime Broadcaster, which he used as the basis to start a daily newspaper, the Citizen. After three years he sold the paper to Howard P. Robinson, the owner of the New Brunswick Publishing Co. Ltd. Robinson closed the Citizen and employed some of its staff on his two Saint John daily papers, the Telegraph-Journal and the Evening Times-Globe. In 1944 Robinson sold his New Brunswick Publishing company to Irving. As well as the two newspapers, Irving acquired a radio station by this purchase. In 1948 Irving bought the two daily newspapers in Moncton, the Times and the Transcript.
In May 1968 Irving bought the Fredericton Daily Gleaner from Michael Wardell. With this purchase Irving became the owner of all five daily newspapers published in New Brunswick. The sale of the Gleaner was not made public by either party, and was only revealed by Senator Charles McElman in a speech on the floor of the Canadian Senate in March 1969.
McElman's revelation prompted hearings by the Special Senate Committee on the Mass Media, chaired by Senator Keith Davey. Its mandate was to look at "problems surrounding media concentration, particularly in print media ownership. K. C. Irving testified in December 1969 about his newspaper and other media holdings. At that time he owned 25% of K.C. Irving Ltd., while members of his family owned the remaining 75%. A subsidiary company, New Brunswick Publishing Ltd., owned the two Saint John newspapers, the Telegraph-Journal and the Evening Times Globe. New Brunswick Publishing Ltd. in turn had subsidiaries, one of which was Moncton Publishing, which published the two Moncton papers, the Times and the Transcript. Another subsidiary owned the Saint John radio station CHSJ. K.C. Irving Ltd. had also recently acquired control of the University Press of New Brunswick, which owned Fredericton's Daily Gleaner newspaper.
In 1971 K.C. Irving Ltd. was charged under the Combines Investigation Act because it owned all five of New Brunswick's English language daily newspapers. In R. v. K.C. Irving Ltd., Moncton Publishing Co., New Brunswick Publishing Co. and University Press of New Brunswick Ltd., the four companies were charged with "running a de facto monopoly".
In 1972, before the case went to trial, K.C. Irving moved to Bermuda and the newspaper and radio holdings were divided among his three sons. Jack, the youngest son, became sole owner of the Moncton and Fredericton papers, while James K. and Arthur each acquired 40% of New Brunswick Publishing, which published the two Saint John papers. K.C. Irving Ltd. kept a 20% stake in New Brunswick Publishing.
The trial judge ruled that the Irving family did have too much control of the New Brunswick media, and that the Moncton papers should be sold. He also ordered K.C. Irving Ltd. to pay a fine of $150,000. However, the ruling was overturned, first by the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick and then by the Supreme Court of Canada, on the ground that "public detriment" as a result of the monopoly had not been established "beyond a reasonable doubt".
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Brunswick News
Brunswick News Inc. (BNI) was a Canadian newspaper publishing company based on Bloor Street in Toronto. Once privately owned by James K. Irving and based in Saint John, New Brunswick, it was sold to Postmedia Network in 2022.
BNI was incorporated in December 1998, absorbing Summit Publishing and New Brunswick Publishing Ltd., two newspaper publishing companies already owned by members of New Brunswick's Irving family. The two companies controlled all the daily newspapers in New Brunswick's three major cities. Brunswick News Inc. was created as subsidiary of Otter Brook Holdings, which had been incorporated in 1997.
In 1936 the New Brunswick industrialist K. C. Irving purchased the Saint John weekly Maritime Broadcaster, which he used as the basis to start a daily newspaper, the Citizen. After three years he sold the paper to Howard P. Robinson, the owner of the New Brunswick Publishing Co. Ltd. Robinson closed the Citizen and employed some of its staff on his two Saint John daily papers, the Telegraph-Journal and the Evening Times-Globe. In 1944 Robinson sold his New Brunswick Publishing company to Irving. As well as the two newspapers, Irving acquired a radio station by this purchase. In 1948 Irving bought the two daily newspapers in Moncton, the Times and the Transcript.
In May 1968 Irving bought the Fredericton Daily Gleaner from Michael Wardell. With this purchase Irving became the owner of all five daily newspapers published in New Brunswick. The sale of the Gleaner was not made public by either party, and was only revealed by Senator Charles McElman in a speech on the floor of the Canadian Senate in March 1969.
McElman's revelation prompted hearings by the Special Senate Committee on the Mass Media, chaired by Senator Keith Davey. Its mandate was to look at "problems surrounding media concentration, particularly in print media ownership. K. C. Irving testified in December 1969 about his newspaper and other media holdings. At that time he owned 25% of K.C. Irving Ltd., while members of his family owned the remaining 75%. A subsidiary company, New Brunswick Publishing Ltd., owned the two Saint John newspapers, the Telegraph-Journal and the Evening Times Globe. New Brunswick Publishing Ltd. in turn had subsidiaries, one of which was Moncton Publishing, which published the two Moncton papers, the Times and the Transcript. Another subsidiary owned the Saint John radio station CHSJ. K.C. Irving Ltd. had also recently acquired control of the University Press of New Brunswick, which owned Fredericton's Daily Gleaner newspaper.
In 1971 K.C. Irving Ltd. was charged under the Combines Investigation Act because it owned all five of New Brunswick's English language daily newspapers. In R. v. K.C. Irving Ltd., Moncton Publishing Co., New Brunswick Publishing Co. and University Press of New Brunswick Ltd., the four companies were charged with "running a de facto monopoly".
In 1972, before the case went to trial, K.C. Irving moved to Bermuda and the newspaper and radio holdings were divided among his three sons. Jack, the youngest son, became sole owner of the Moncton and Fredericton papers, while James K. and Arthur each acquired 40% of New Brunswick Publishing, which published the two Saint John papers. K.C. Irving Ltd. kept a 20% stake in New Brunswick Publishing.
The trial judge ruled that the Irving family did have too much control of the New Brunswick media, and that the Moncton papers should be sold. He also ordered K.C. Irving Ltd. to pay a fine of $150,000. However, the ruling was overturned, first by the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick and then by the Supreme Court of Canada, on the ground that "public detriment" as a result of the monopoly had not been established "beyond a reasonable doubt".
