 | |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet until 29 October 2009 Tabloid from 5 November 2009 |
| Owner | Newsquest |
| Publisher | Newsquest Bradford |
| Editor | Nigel Burton |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Headquarters | Skipton,North Yorkshire |
| Circulation | 3,996 (as of 2023)[1] |
| ISSN | 0961-1908 |
| OCLC number | 751637778 |
| Website | cravenherald |
TheCraven Herald & Pioneer is a weeklynewspaper covering theCraven area ofNorth Yorkshire as well as part of thePendle area ofLancashire. Until 29 October 2009 it remained one of only two weekly papers in theUnited Kingdom that continued to have a front page consisting wholly of advertisements.[2] On 22 October 2009 it was announced that the edition on 29 October 2009 would be the lastbroadsheet edition with adverts on the front cover. From 5 November 2009 the format was changed to atabloid size, or compact as the then-editor described it, with news on page one and the adverts moved to page two.[3]
There have been several newspapers covering the Craven area. TheCraven Herald was first published in 1853,[4] inSkipton, by Robert Tasker, a local printer. Originally a monthly publication, it ran until 1868 when Tasker becamepostmaster of Skipton and, as such, was debarred from publishing a newspaper.[4]
In 1865 theCraven Weekly Pioneer and General Advertiser for West Yorkshire and East Lancashire was launched.[5] This was a paper of veryliberal leanings being an enthusiastic supporter ofWilliam Ewart Gladstone.[5] In response the localConservatives bought Tasker's firm and in 1875 re-launched theCraven Herald.[5]
Both papers continued to publish separately and both underwent name changes at various times. TheCraven Herald changed its name to theCraven Herald and Wensleydale Standard in 1868 before reverting to theCraven Herald in 1922.[6] Meanwhile the Pioneer became theWest Yorkshire Pioneer and East Lancashire News in 1884 and theWest Yorkshire Pioneer in 1934.[6] The two rivals merged in 1937 to form theCraven Herald & Pioneer.[6]
TheCraven Herald was an early user of photographs in the paper. The first example, of a society wedding, appeared in 1905.[4]
In 1987, financial pressures forced the owners of the paper to sell to Westminster Press, the publishers of theBradford Telegraph and Argus.[5] Westminster Press itself was sold toNewsquest in 1996.[7]
Until 1995 the paper was printed in Skipton[8] but after a Westminster Press decision to centralise printing, moved toBradford,[4] although the editorial and advertising offices remain in Skipton.[9]
In 2001 the paper broke with its tradition and suspended adverts on the front page for one edition to use a photograph to report the arrival offoot and mouth disease in Craven.[10]
While it remained a broadsheet publication, the front page remained resolutely advertising although in 2008 changes were made to preview the main news story in a 12column inch (3 inches by 4 columns) box on the front page.[11]
In the January – December 2013ABC audit, the average net circulation per issue was 11,498.[12][13] By the January to December 2016 season, this had dropped to 9,377 average weekly circulation.[14] The present editor is Andrew Hitchon.[15]Styling itselfThe Voice of the Dales since 1853[4] it is now published every Thursday and carries some colour photographs on the inside. As of February 2024[update] the cover price is £1.40.
From 5 November 2009 the paper is printed in a tabloid format with news on the front page and the adverts formerly carried on page one moved to page two.