iyer evolves inio awar THIS is the first in a sevies of feature articles commemorating the 30th anniversary of the North Shore News which began publishing ft 1969. Quer the balance of she year. de News’ 30th asiniversary series will take a look back at the evotution of the newspaper that has become thy voice of the Narth Shore and exami some of the people, Places and events that have belped shape the North Siiuve since 1969. Today's article provides a summarised history of the News. Judy Smith Contributing Writer THE North Shore News rose like a phoenix out of the ashes of a long-standing battle for North Shore newspaper supremacy. The history goes like this: in the area’s carly days there was only one newspaper, the North Shore Press. In 1926, a challenge to) the territory began with The Review, later called the Norel Shore Review, Then in the late 30s. print- er James Towgood launched The Lions Gate Times to try to capture the growing West Vancouver population. In 1955, Review owner J.M. Bryan, reporter Ralph Hall and advertising manager Welly Boyes, bought the Press. They kept both weeklies run- ning until 1957 when they merged the ovo into the North Shore Press Review. When long-time and well- known newspaperman H.L. “Hal” Straight came on the scene in 1958, he boughe the Press-Review and changed its name to The Citizen. Peter Speck entered the fray.in the late °60s and although he probably dreamed abour it, he didn’t set out to take on the two. existing papers. Speck started out in the newspaper business by selling .ads for The Lions Gate Times, which by 1968 was a weckly West Vancouver paper pub- lished by Claude Hoodspith. When Speck broached Hoodspith with the idea of a tree flyer to be distributed by the Times to every house on the North Shore trom Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay, the idea gata fess than enchusias- tic reception. So in 1969 Speck struck out on his own, Wirth “30 vents in my pockets and holes in my shoes,” he began a once-a-week Ayer called) the Nerth Shore Shopper. \ started with no editorial content and a circulation of 6,000. By 1977 it had a new name, the North Shore News, and a circulation of 46,000. The flyer had became a full-fledged community newspaper with three editorial staff, including editor-in-chief Noel Wright, who continues to write editorial columns for the News. Speck’s newspaper covered the news in a more sensational way than the other more staid North Shore publications. The News might feature a murder case of a gruesome car wreck on its front page where the front page of its competition would be given over to city council news. On its June 1, 1977, front page, for cxample, News ban- ner héadlines biared stories of a married couple busted for drugs, 2 police crackdown on illegal booze possession and a wild 80 mp/h police chase. Meanwhile, — on the Citizen’s front page was a ban- ner story about a fired city clerk and development plans for Deep Cove. Wednesday, March 17, 1999 — North Shore News - 33 NEWS file photo PETER Speck launched the predecessor to the North Shore News in 1969 — a once-a-week flyer known as the North Shore Shopper. Within a decade it had developed into a full-fledged community newspaper. “We have a bright, lively colourful format and touch on subjects they don’t,” Speck said in a 1977 interview with the Vancouver Sun. At the time he attribuced his success to free ads for seniors and = community groups, his tabloid format and efficient delivery system. The News has also cradi- tionally featured controversial and outspoken _ columnists such as Doug Collins, Bob Hunter, Trevor Lautens and the late Les Bewley. A year after Speck roared on to the scene, the Lions Gate Times shut down after having published for 30 years. Hoodspith put up a valiant NEWS file photo THE North Shore Shopper contained no editorial content and had a starting cir- culation of 6,000. fight and expanded his paper to cover the entire North Shore — but it couldn't com- pete with the free total mar- ket coverage North Shore News. The News continued to grow. A Sunday edition was added to the _ original Wednesday edition in April 1977; a Friday edition hit newstands in February 1984. Competitors for the North Shore community newspaper crown continued to take runs at the News, but Speck’s pub- lication turned back all chal- lengers —- and continues to do so. To date, the News has dis- patched at least 40 competing publications. Speck sold the newspaper to newspaper giant Southam in 1989 to devote more time to his family and their 100- acre working farm on Pender Island. He has remained at the News as its publisher ever since. In late 1998, following almost nine years of court challenges and federal wran- gling over Southam’s pur- chase of the News, the federal Competition Tribunal approved a deal that gave Seutham ownership of the News through the newspa- per’s parent company Lower Mainland Publishing Ltd. Over the vears, the News has employed hundreds of people and the newspaper has won so many awards that Speck doesn’t even hazard 2 guess at the number. The News currently has a staff of 91 full-time equivalent employces and a newspaper delivery force of approximate- ly 900 carriers. 1969: The first edition of the North Shore Shopper was published in February, to be a monthly publication with a circulation of 6,000. Number of employees? One. 4971: The Shopper goes . weekly, publishing Wed- nesdays with a circulation of 44,000 — representing total market coverage. 9975: The North Shore Shopper becomes the North Shore News and begins to charge for clas- sified ads. The ad volume doubles in six months. 1977: A Sunday edition now complements the weil- established Wednesday issue of the News. 1978: A nine-month Pacitic Press strike teads to a 100% increase in advertis- ing revenue and the number of pages pub- lished. 1979: The only remaining competitor on the North Shore ceases publication atter 30 years. giving the News exclusive cover- age of its market. 1980: The News is named Best All-Round News- paper by the B.C. and Yukon Community News- paper Association. 4983: Four departments: dis- play advertising, photeg- raphy, promotion and edi- torial, each earn first- place prizes in newspaper industry competitions. 1984: A Friday issue now joins the existing Wed- nesday and Sunday edi- tions of the paper. The News is named Best All- Round Tabloict Newspaper by the Canadian Com- munity Newspaper Asso- ciation. The News begins publishing colour front Pages. 1989: The News celebrates its 20th anniversary. Owner Peter Speck sells the paper 1o newspaper giant Southam. 4994: The News does baitle for freedom of the press when it defends itself and columnist Doug Collins against a complaint launched through provin- cial human cights legisla- tion. 1999: The Mews celebraies its 30th anniversary. Watch for “The North Shore in 1969” coming Wednesday, April 14,