| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner | Joy Bramble |
| Founded | November 1986 |
| Headquarters | 2513 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 |
| Website | baltimoretimes-online |
TheBaltimore Times is a free weekly newspaper founded in 1986 that covers theAfrican-American community inBaltimore County, Maryland. The newspaper circulates to 32,000 people, and its tagline is "positive stories about positive people."[1]
TheBaltimore Times was founded in November 1986 by Joy and Peter Bramble in theirBaltimore home.[2] The Brambles focused coverage on positive stories as a way to counteract negative press of the African American community.[3] In a 2019 interview withBlack Enterprise magazine, Joy Bramble described what she recalls thinking when she decided to launch theBaltimore Times:
In 2017,The Westside Gazette reported that after more than thirty years, Joy Bramble said theBaltimore Times, and its companion, theAnnapolis Times, have continued to only publish positive stories about Black people.[5] In her 2019 interview withBlack Enterprise magazine, Bramble described the ongoing development of theBaltimore Times, including online at the newspaper's website and through social media, stating "we are fast becoming a media company as we introduce video, a possible radio station, and podcasting to attract millennials as our new readers (online of course) of the coming generation."[4]
The company expanded to offer community workshops and seminars to increase awareness of opportunities related to business, education, healthcare, and finance.[4] Eunice Moseley ofThe Washington Informer reported that it "was the first company to offer community events in Baltimore that provided free services with its Housing Expo (onsite pre-approvals), Health Expo (free health care screenings), Men’s Expo (free health care screenings) and Women’s Expo (free seminars)."[6]
The newspaper founded the Positive People Awards in 1992 to acknowledge leaders in Baltimore.[7]
In 1998, the Times Community Services was formed as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to philanthropic efforts.[1]
The newspaper was originally founded as a monthly publication, but it transitioned to a weekly newspaper one month after its first edition.[1] Due to the popularity ofThe Baltimore Times, the Brambles began publishing Black-focused newspapers dedicated to other areas of Maryland:The Annapolis Times,The Shore Times,The Prince George's County Times, andThe Baltimore County Times.[1]
The newspaper publishes each Friday.[8] In 2020, theBaltimore Times was estimated to have a circulation of 32,000.[8]
In 2019, publisher Joy Bramble was honored in Baltimore with a wax figure placed in theNational Great Blacks In Wax Museum, and a proclamation from theMaryland House andSenate before the unveiling.[6][4]