 Pontypool Free Press front page 11 June 1859 | |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | Newsquest |
| Founder(s) | David Walkinshaw |
| Publisher | Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd |
| Deputy editor | Nicole Garnon |
| Managing editor | Kevin Ward |
| Founded | 1859 |
| Headquarters | Cardiff Road,Maesglas,Newport NP20 3QN |
| Circulation | 1,614 (as of 2023)[1] |
| Sister newspapers | South Wales Argus,Penarth Times, Barry & District News |
| ISSN | 1757-3076 |
| OCLC number | 500055627 |
| Website | freepressseries |
ThePontypool Free Press is an English language weekly regional newspaper that was originally published inPontypool, as thePontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills, in 1859 and is circulated in Pontypool and the surrounding area ofTorfaen, insouth-east Wales.
ThePontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills was established in 1859, with the first edition on 5 March 1859.[2][3] It was printed and published in Pontypool, in English, by the proprietor David Walkinshaw.[2][a]In 1877 Henry Hughes Junior agreed to purchase the paper, along with thePontypool Local Register and the Pontypool Almanack, for £1,000 from Walkinshaw.[5][b]
The name of the newspaper changed on 5 July 1879, toThe Pontypool Free Press, and on 2 April 1909 toThe Free Press of Monmouthshire.[3]
In the 1980s,Don Touhig, later to become theMember of Parliament forIslwyn and alife peer, was editor of the newspaper.[8][9] Touhig worked on the paper from 1968 to 1994, starting as a journalist, and ending as general manager of the Free Press Group.[10]
An edition coveringChepstow was added in 1980, with other editions added later, giving four titles produced by the Free Press Group:[11]
In 1997 the Bailey Newspaper Group, the then owners of the Free Press Group, was bought by Southern Newspapers, based inSouthampton.[12] In 1998 Southern Newspapers changed its name to Newscom and, in 2000, was bought by theNewsquest Media Group.[13]
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In November 2008Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd merged the Abergavenny, Chepstow, and Monmouth editions into one edition covering Monmouthshire calledThe Free Press. ThePontypool Free Press continued as a separate edition.[11]
In November 2011 Newsquest moved the editorial staff to its regional headquarters, at the offices of theSouth Wales Argus, inNewport, closing its offices in Pontypool and Chepstow.[14] Soon after,Torfaen County Borough Council offered the paper an office at thePontypool Civic Centre, and journalists now use the office as a drop-in centre every Friday.[14][15]
The paper maintains a close relationship with the local rugby club,Pontypool RFC, as "Official Media Partner".[16]
The paper is part of a group of papers covering some of south-east Wales, including theSouth Wales Argus,Penarth Times, and thePenarth & 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.[17] The paper is currently released as a tabloid and in 2013 had an average circulation of 5,022 (includingThe Free Press) with a cover price of £0.40.[18]
Paper, and microfiche, archives of thePontypool Free Press andThe Free Press of Monmouthshire are held atGwent Archives,Ebbw Vale andNewport Central Library.[3][19]
An online digital archive of the paper (1859–1869 and 1872–1893) is available fromWelsh Newspapers Online.[20]