Neepawa Banner and Press will become one

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Published on Friday, September 29, 2017

Kate Jackman - Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner
The first edition of the Neepawa Banner hit the streets on Oct. 29, 1989. With an initial print run of 3,000 copies, the paper was distributed in the Town of Neepawa and the surrounding villages.  Over the years, the paper has grown and today, over 8,300 copies are distributed each week. But change is in the air— next Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, the first issue of the combined Neepawa Banner & Press will be published.

The new paper will keep the Banner’s circulation, which is the largest of any rural weekly in southwestern Manitoba, as well as publication dates and deadlines. It will combine popular features from both the Neepawa Banner and Neepawa Press.

In September 2015, Banner owners and publishers Ken and Christine Waddell purchased the Neepawa Press from Vancouver-based Glacier Media. This move brought Neepawa’s longest running business back under local ownership. “We kept publishing The Neepawa Press as a separate paper as long as it made economic sense, but now, federal and provincial government advertising is at a low ebb in community papers so it now makes absolute sense to combine the papers,” said Ken Waddell. He added that since the purchase of the Press in 2015, many readers have asked when the two would become one. Now, that time has arrived.

The Neepawa Banner & Press will publish every Friday and be available in Neepawa Thursday afternoon. The advertising deadline will be Tuesday at noon.

“The Neepawa Banner has always believed in three key ingredients: local news, good advertising and strong editorial content. These principals have guided the paper in the past and will continue to guide the Neepawa Banner & Press going forward,” said Waddell.