Jump to content

Pontypool Free Press

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Robevans123 (talk | contribs) at 14:44, 29 September 2016 (removed stub template and added editorial/circulation details). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Pontypool Free Press
Pontypool Free Press front page 11 June 1859
TypeWeekly newspaper
FormatTabloid
OwnerNewsquest
FounderDavid Walkinshaw
PublisherNewsquest Media (Southern) Ltd
HeadquartersCardiff Road, Maesglas, Newport NP20 3QN
Circulation5,022 (as of 2013)
Price£0.40 (2013)
ISSN1757-3076
OCLC number500055627
WebsiteFree Press

The Pontypool Free Press is an english language weekly regional newspaper that was originally published in Pontypool, as the Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills, in 1859 and is circulated in Pontypool and the surrounding area of Torfaen, in south-east Wales.

History

The Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills was established in 1859, with the first edition on 5th March 1859.[1][2] It was printed and published in Pontypool, in English, by the proprietor David Walkinshaw.[1][a] In 1877 Henry Hughes Junior agreed to purchase the paper, along with the Pontypool Local Register and the Pontypool Almanack, for £1,000 from Walkinshaw.[4]

The name of the newspaper changed on 5th July 1879, to The Pontypool Free Press, and on 2nd April 1909 to The Free Press of Monmouthshire.[2]

In the 1980s, Don Touhig, later to become the Member of Parliament for Islwyn and a life peer, was editor of the newspaper.[5][6] Touhig worked on the paper from 1968 to 1994, starting as a journalist, and ending as general manager of the Free Press Group.[7]

An edition covering Chepstow was added in 1980, with other editions added later, giving four titles produced by the Free Press Group:[8]

  • Abergavenny Free Press
  • Chepstow Free Press
  • Monmouth Free Press
  • Pontypool Free Press

In November 2008 the first three editions were merged into an edition covering Monmouthshire called The Free Press. The Pontypool Free Press continued as a separate edition.[8]

Current owners

Former offices of the Pontypool Free Press

The Pontypool Free Press, and The Free Press, are now owned by the Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd.[8] In November 2011 Newsquest moved the editorial staff to it's regional headquarters, at the offices of the South Wales Argus, in Newport, closing its offices in Pontypool and Chepstow.[9] Soon after, Torfaen County Borough Council offered the paper an office in its headquarters in the civic centre, Pontypool, and journalists now use the office as a drop-in centre every Friday.[9][10]

The paper maintains a close relationship with the local rugby club, Pontypool RFC, as "Official Media Partner".[11]

The paper is part of a group of papers covering some of south-east Wales, including the South Wales Argus, Penarth Times, and the Penarth & District News. The papers are all based at Cardiff Road, Maesglas, Newport NP20 3QN, with Kevin Ward as Regional Managing Editor and Nicole Garnon as Deputy Editor.[12] The paper is currently released as a tabloid and in 2013 had an average circulation of 5,022 (including The Free Press) with a cover price of £0.40.[13]

Archives

An online digital archive of the paper (1859-1869 and 1872-1893) is available from Welsh Newspapers Online.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ Walkinshaw is commemorated as the founder of the paper in a stained glass window in the Church of St Michael and All Angels, New Inn.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills". Welsh Newspapers Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Gwent Archives Newpapers". Archives Network Wales. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  3. ^ "Church of St Michael and All Angels". Statutory List of Buildings. Cadw. 7 August 1997 [Listed 1962]. Cadw Building ID 3114. Retrieved 29 September 2016 – via Historic Wales.
  4. ^ "Papers of Henry Hughes and Pontypool Free Press Newspaper". Gwent Archives. 'Pontypool Free Press' Newspaper Acquisition. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Lord Touhig". UK Parliament Website. UK Parliament. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  6. ^ Ruddock, Joan (14 June 2016). "Chapter 4: CND". Going Nowhere: A Memoir. Biteback. ISBN 9781785900389. OCLC 951608839. Retrieved 28 September 2016 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Former Gwent MP to become a peer". South Wales Argus. Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "Free Press of Monmouthshire". British Newspapers Online. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Pontypool Free Press offered Torfaen council office". BBC. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Council provides free office space to local newspaper". Torfaen County Borough Council. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Pontypool Free Press extend Pooler agreement". Pontypool RFC. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Contact Us". Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  13. ^ "Circulation Certificate - Free Press - Monmouth (Series)" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK). p. 1. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Welsh Newspapers Online". National Library of Wales. 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pontypool_Free_Press&oldid=741765480"