24 Hours (French:24 Heures), is a group of English-language and French-languagefree daily newspapers published in Canada. It was published in French inMontreal andGatineau, and in English inCalgary,Edmonton,Ottawa,Toronto, andVancouver. The Gatineau edition was discontinued in 2008 and the Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa editions ceased publication in 2013. The Toronto and Vancouver editions were sold toPostmedia Network as part of Quebecor's divestment of English-language news, and they were later acquired byTorstar in an asset swap on November 27, 2017 and immediately shut down in favour of the Torstar-ownedMetro papers in those cities (rebrandedStarMetro the following year).[1]
 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Language | English, French |
| Country | Canada |
The French-language Montreal edition, originally calledMetropolitain, became24 heures in 2005. It is published weekly byQuebecor Media and is the only survivor under the name after folding of all the other Canadian editions. In 2021, it re-launched as a print weekly. The newspaper also underwent a major redesign with the title change to24, and in early February 2021, its website and logo were redesigned.[2]
History
editIn 2000,Metro International launched its free dailyMetro newspaper in Toronto, eventually expanding with local editions across Canada. In Toronto, theToronto Sun andToronto Star scrambled to launch their own free dailies, Sun Media'sFYI Toronto and Torstar'sGTA Today. In mid-2001,GTA Today had merged withMetro and in October of the same year Sun Media ceased publication ofFYI Toronto. However, as theToronto Sun itself had been largely dependent on sales to commuters the success ofMetro ate into its market share and in 2003, Sun Media re-entered the giveaway market with the launch of24 Hours in Toronto.
The Montreal French-language paper was originally called "Metropolitain" (English: "Metropolitan") and had a large lowercase "m" as its logo, before becoming24 Heures in 2005.
On November 14, 2006,24 Hours launched two new editions in theOttawa–Gatineau area—an English edition published inOttawa, and a French edition published inGatineau. The Gatineau version stopped publishing on May 9, 2008.
The Vancouver edition of24 Hours was a joint venture of Sun Media and theJim Pattison Group; Pattison sold his share of the Vancouver edition in 2007.
In fall 2009,24 Hours and24 Heures were given an extensive makeover.[3] The paper was given the alternative name24H; while24H is short-form for "24 Hours" in French, the name was applied to all editions. The paper's colour scheme changed for the Montreal edition, from black and yellow to blue and orange, to match the other editions' colours.
As of January 3, 2011, the Montreal edition of24 H had reached an agreement with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) for exclusive distribution in the underground Montreal métro network, replacing theMetro newspaper.[4]
On November 27, 2017, the Toronto and Vancouver editions were acquired by Torstar during Torstar-Postmedia swap deal and were immediately shut down and merged into the Torstar owned Metro.[5] The sale was part of a trade between Torstar and Postmedia, in which more than forty local newspapers changed ownership, with several closing. As a result of the trade and closures, theCompetition Bureau began an investigation into violations of theCompetition Act and raided the offices of Postmedia and Torstar to search for evidence.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Jackson, Emily (November 27, 2017)."'The alarm bells should go off:' Postmedia, Torstar deal will see 36 community papers closed".National Post.
- ^Roy, Marie-Josée R. (February 4, 2021),Le "24 heures" fait peau neuve, retrievedApril 25, 2023
- ^Your World Changes in 24 Hours - So Do We! New Look and New Content for 24 Hours
- ^The 24 heures newspaper will be distributed in Montréal’s métro network as of January 2011
- ^Jackson, Emily (November 27, 2017)."'The alarm bells should go off:' Postmedia, Torstar deal will see 36 community papers closed".National Post.
- ^Healing, Dan (March 12, 2018)."Competition Bureau searches Torstar, Postmedia offices in newspaper swap review | Metro Toronto".Metro. Archived fromthe original on March 13, 2018. RetrievedMarch 13, 2018.
External links
edit- Official website
- 24 Hours English newspapers at theWayback Machine (archive index)