The newspaper that would eventually become the 麻豆传媒映画Courier launched in 1908 as the Eburne News. It was later named the Point Grey Gazette before becoming the paper you know today.
That makes us 104 this year-four years older than the 麻豆传媒映画Sun, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a year-long celebration including an Alaska cruise with celebrity reporters and columnists.
The Courier didn't offer a cruise for its 100th because none of our celebrity reporters or columnists were available. We did all get invited down to city hall though, where a proclamation was read and then-mayor Sam Sullivan declared June 1, 2008 as 麻豆传媒映画Courier Day in the city. So it was almost as much fun.
The goal of the Eburne News was to act as the voice of the community, a goal the Courier's staff continues to strive for. In the early 1900s, news stories included in the Gazette told how residents weren't happy with the budget proposed by city council, the creation of a 麻豆传媒映画Police Department bike patrol unit and the promotion of a race track in Richmond. Some things never change.
The Courier has come a long way since 1908 as it played witness to the historical events that shaped the city. As the paper grew, and with each new owner, the name changed. In 1950, the publisher of the day dubbed the newspaper the Kerrisdale Courier and in 1979 it was rebranded the 麻豆传媒映画Courier. Despite the name changes, the business has been the same-to tell the stories of this great city in the best way possible. But now in the words of the late Sam Cooke, a change is gonna come-again.
Today, the Courier is pondering another redesign, and we want our readers to have a voice in that process. For years, the hallmark of the Courier has been its feature cover stories, which were sometimes up to 4,000 words and published on Wednesdays and Fridays. Newsroom staffers consider the longer cover stories an opportunity to get to the heart of a subject and it's a formula that works.
Based on those feature stories, in 2010 and 2011 alone the Courier won a combined 16 provincial and national journalism awards, not to mention two prestigious Jack Webster nominations. So far this year, the Courier has received seven provincial journalism award nominations. (The national and Jack Webster nominations have yet to be announced for 2012.)
Today our feature stories are shorter, 1,800 words, and only published on Fridays. Our Wednesday issues focus heavily on news and opinion. But what do Courier readers want? Would you want long feature stories retained or done away with altogether? What else would you like to see? More columns? Fewer columns? More guest writers? More humour? Our sports section, which debuted in 2010, is rapidly growing in popularity, but is there anything we're missing? What about our arts and entertainment section? Would you like to see more food writers, a mommy blogger or columnists dedicated to generations X, Y or Z?
Are you happy with our municipal coverage? Would you like to see more? Or less? Do you think Fred Lee of Fred UnLEEshed should have his own TV show? (OK, I made that one up, but I think it's a good idea.) Would you attend small community forums where residents can discuss the hot topics of the day?
Here's your chance to tell us what you think. You can do that by completing a short survey at HERE, send us an email at [email protected] or write us at 1574 West Sixth Ave., Vancouver, B.C., V6J 1R2.
Twitter: @sthomas10
