Belfast Telegraph
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The Belfast Telegraph is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media, which also publishes the Irish Independent, the Sunday Independent and various other newspapers and magazines in Ireland. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan.<ref name = "Slattery"/> Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant population",<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while also being read within Catholic nationalist communities in Northern Ireland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It has been owned by Independent News and Media, a Dublin-based media company, since 2000,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and is the company's only print title outside of the Republic of Ireland.
HistoryEdit
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. Local editions were published for distribution to Enniskillen, Dundalk, Newry, and Derry.Template:Citation needed
Its competitors are The News Letter and The Irish News, and local editions of London-based red tops also compete in this market, in some cases selling at a cheaper price than the "Tele".Template:Citation needed
Sometimes described as having "unionist leanings",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and operating an editorial policy supportive of "moderate unionism",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Belfast Telegraph was bought by the Dublin-based Independent News & Media group in March 2000.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The weekday morning compact edition was launched on 22 March 2005.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2015, the Telegraph launched the magazine supplement Family Life.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The paper now publishes two editions daily, Belfast Telegraph final edition and the North West Telegraph which is distributed in Derry.
Its editor, since April 2020, is Eoin Brannigan.<ref name = "Slattery"/>
AwardsEdit
The Belfast Telegraph was named as Best UK Regional Newspaper of the Year 2012 by the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
CirculationEdit
Reflecting a decline in newspaper sales generally, circulation of the Belfast Telegraph has declined as of the early 21st century, from 109,571 for the period July to December 2002,<ref name="circ2002">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to 31,340 for the same period in 2019.<ref name="circ2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Bar chart
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Independent News & Media Template:UK regional daily newspapers Template:Northern Ireland newspapers Template:Ireland newspapers