Read all about it: The Reminder has been named the top Canadian newspaper in its circulation tier.
Newspapers Canada has unveiled the winners of the 2015 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards.
The Reminder captured Best Overall in the General Excellence category for newspapers with a per-issue circulation of up to 1,240.
“It was a thrill to see the Flin Flon Reminder’s name at the top of our circulation class,” said Reminder publisher Valerie Durnin. “I’m very proud of my team, who work hard to bring local, relevant news and advertising to our readers.”
Despite producing three times as many editions as most of its competitors, The Reminder still came out on top when judging concluded.
Front page
The Reminder also won Best Front Page in its circulation category, a measure of visual appeal and newsworthy content.
This publication’s 2014 Christmas special placed second in the Best Holiday Edition category for newspapers with a circulation of up to 3,999.
And in Newspapers Canada’s Great Idea Awards, The Reminder’s Culture Days 2014 special edition placed third in the Print Innovation category among community newspapers of any circulation.
“I was especially pleased with the Print Innovation award for our Culture Days 2014 passport program,” said Durnin. “It’s a great recognition and a fitting tribute to such an important cultural event.”
Newspapers Canada is a joint initiative of the Canadian Newspaper Association and the Canadian Community Newspapers Association.
Success
These latest honours follow success The Reminder enjoyed among Manitoba and Saskatchewan newspapers last year.
In its circulation tier, this publication took third in the Best in Class category at the 2014 Better Newspapers Competition hosted by the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association (MCNA).
The Reminder also earned second place in its circulation tier in MCNA’s Best Layout and Design category.
The Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association (SWNA) also recognized The Reminder at its 2014 Better Newspapers Competition.
SWNA awarded this publication third in its circulation tier in the Best Front Page category.
By virtue of its cross-border coverage, The Reminder belongs to both the MCNA and the SWNA.
Since hitting the stands in 1946, The Reminder has published well over 17,000 editions.
The late Tom Dobson founded The Reminder. Having worked at a mine near Kenora, Ontario, before moving to Flin Flon, Dobson recalled the former community having a one-sheet daily called the Daily Reminder.
“Many hours were spent trying to figure out the possibility of a small daily succeeding in Flin Flon, and finally the decision was made to go ahead with the project,” Dobson wrote in The Reminder’s 40th anniversary edition in 1986.
Dobson recalled how his friend owned an apartment block at 45 Hapnot Street, with the building held up by large timbers. Underneath the block was an open space with nothing but the large timbers.
Dobson rented this space for $15 a month. He then invested $1,800 – all but $100 of his savings – on a press and other equipment to launch the newspaper.
“Our original intention was to just print a one-sheet Daily Reminder, but another friend, Larry Kenny, went out and sold enough advertising for six pages and we were stuck with this for the start,” Dobson wrote.
The Reminder initially competed with the Flin Flon Daily Miner, the community’s first newspaper, before becoming the dominant publication.
The Reminder published six days a week to start, cutting back to five days in 1978 when the challenge of juggling employees became tricky.
In 2005, The Reminder adopted a thrice-weekly publication schedule. In 2007 the newspaper was sold to Boundary Publishers, a subsidiary of Glacier Ventures Inc.
