Founder(s) William & George Baird Founded 1870 | Editor Gail Walker | |
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Owner(s) Independent News & Media | ||
The Belfast Telegraph is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media.
Contents
History
It was first published as the Belfast Evening Telegraph on 1 September 1870 by brothers William and George Baird. Its first edition cost half a penny and ran to four pages covering the Franco-Prussian war and local news.
The evening edition of the newspaper was originally called the "Sixth Late", and "Sixth Late Tele" was a familiar cry made by vendors in Belfast City Centre in the past.
Its competitors are The News Letter and The Irish News but the local editions of the London-based red tops are also competitors, selling at a cheaper price than the 'Tele'.
The Belfast Telegraph was entirely broadsheet until 19 February 2005, when the Saturday morning edition was introduced and all Saturday editions were converted to compact. The weekday morning Compact Edition, launched on 22 March 2005, struggled to replicate the evening newspaper's success. Its editorial content has been much more tabloid, with a greater entertainment story count than the evening paper. Much prominence is given to English-based sport, and some general features and columns are shared with The Independent and Irish Independent.
The paper now publishes two editions daily, Belfast Telegraph final edition and the North West Telegraph which is distributed in Derry.
Circulation
Supplements
The Belfast Telegraph is the primary title of Independent News & Media (NI) Ltd. It carries many supplements including:
They ceased to print the Ireland's Saturday Night sports evening newspaper in July 2008.
A sister paper is Sunday Life. Also associated is Ads for Free. And the paper holds the printing contract for The Daily Mirror, The Sun, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Irish Daily Star, The Daily Star and The Times for Northern Ireland.
Awards
The Belfast Telegraph was named as Best UK Regional Newspaper of the Year 2012 by the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards.
At the Coca-Cola CIPR Awards, the Belfast Telegraph scooped the following awards: Newspaper of the Year, Website of the Year, Supplement of the Year for its Titanic Tales series, Business Journalist of the Year Claire McNeilly, Production Journalist of the year for Heather Byrne, Features Journalist of the Year for Jane Hardy and Lifetime Achievement Award for former Editor Roy Lilley.