The Times Colonist is an English-languagedaily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the merger in 1980 of the VictoriaDaily Times, established in 1884, and the British Colonist, established in 1858 by Amor De Cosmos who was later British Columbia's second Premier. The British Colonist was B.C.'s first paper "of any permanence". De Cosmos was the editor until 1866 when D.W. Higgins took over for the next twenty years. Local news receives the greatest prominence in the Times Colonist. Stories and photographs about Greater Victoria are often featured on the front page. The newspaper also has national and international stories, plus sections covering the arts, sports, and business. The Times Colonist also has a website as well as an e-edition, which offers a digital replica of the printed pages. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the average daily paid circulation for the Times Colonist, Tuesday to Friday, was 49,343 for the twelve months ending December, 2013. Since then, paid circulation has dropped to less than 31,000 copies daily. The Times Colonist is published six days a week and is sold by subscription or at newsstands. The newsroom of the Times Colonist has about 35 people, working as reporters, columnists, photographers, editors, layout designers, graphic artists and editorial assistants. In 2017, the newspaper building was sold, with the Times Colonist signing a long-term lease for most of the main floor once the rejuvenation of the building is complete. In 2018, the newspaper announced it would contract out printing of the paper, allowing it to focus on the content and distribution of the newspaper. Since October 1, 2018, the newspaper has been printed by Black Press in Ladysmith. The first 110 years of the British Colonist are available online, with free access, through the efforts of the Times Colonist, the University of Victoria and other funding partners. The digitized newspaper collection is the most popular database on the university's website. Convicted fraudster David Radler now runs the day-to-day operations of the paper. Radler started serving his 29-month sentence for fraud on 25 February 2008.
Circulation
The Times Colonist has seen like most Canadian daily newspapers a decline in circulation, although the decline has not been as severe as in other markets. Its total circulation dropped by percent to 58,297 copies daily from 2009 to 2015. However, from 2016 to present, the average press run was below 31,000 copies daily.
