Editing Toronto Telegram

{{Short description|Canadian daily newspaper}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name                = The Toronto Telegram
| image               = Toronto Telegram (front page).jpg
| image_size          = 240px
| caption             =
| type                = [[Newspaper]]
| format              = [[Broadsheet]]
| foundation          = 1876
| ceased publication  = 1971
| price               =
| owners              = [[John Ross Robertson]]; [[John W. H. Bassett]] - part owner
| editor-in-chief     = 
| political           = [[Populism]], [[conservatism|Conservative]]
| headquarters        = Toronto Telegram Building (now part of [[Commerce Court]]) and later 444 Front Street West, [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]
| circulation         = 
| ISSN                = 
| publisher           = 
| website             = 
}}
'''''The Toronto Evening Telegram''''' was a [[conservatism|conservative]], [[broadsheet]] afternoon [[newspaper]] published in [[Toronto]] from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative Party]] at the federal and the provincial levels. The paper competed with an afternoon paper, ''[[The Toronto Daily Star]]'', which supported the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberals]]. ''The Telegram'' strongly supported Canada's connection with the [[United Kingdom]] and the rest of the [[British Empire]]<ref name=Brehl>"The Tely's 95 years: How the Old Lady went mod," John Brehl, ''Toronto Daily Star'', September 18, 1971, p. 6.</ref> as late as the 1960s.

==History==
''The Toronto Evening Telegram'' was founded in 1876 by publisher [[John Ross Robertson]]. He had borrowed {{CAD|10,000|link=yes}} to buy the assets of ''The Liberal'', a defunct newspaper,<ref name=Hyman>"Founder John Ross Robertson made the Telegram explosive force in life of Toronto," Ralph Hyman, ''The Globe and Mail'', September 20, 1971, p. 8.</ref> and published his first edition of 3,800 copies on April 18, 1876.<ref name=Brehl /> The editor of ''Telegram'' from 1876 to 1888 was [[Alexander Fraser Pirie]] (1849–1903), a native of [[Guelph]]. Pirie had worked for the ''Guelph Herald'', his father's paper.

The newspaper became the voice of working-class, conservative Protestant [[Orange Institution#The Orange Order in Canada|Orange]] Toronto. In 1881, Robertson erected a building for the paper at the southeast corner of King and Bay Streets, on Melinda Street.<ref>{{cite web|title=Goad's Fire Insurance Maps|year=1903|publisher=Chas. E. Goad|location=Toronto|url=http://maps.library.utoronto.ca/datapub/digital/NG/goad/1903/Plate06.jpg}}</ref> John R. (Black Jack) Robinson succeeded Pirie as editor-in-chief in 1888 and held that position until he died in 1928.<ref>{{cite web |title=Toronto Telegram - The Newspaper's Explosive Force in Toronto History |url=https://www.torontojourney416.com/toronto-telegram/ |website=Toronto Journey |access-date=May 18, 2024}}</ref>

''The Telegram'' focused on local issues<ref name=Brehl /> and became the largest circulation daily in Toronto, but it lost that position in 1932 to the ''[[Toronto Star|Toronto Daily Star]]'' and never regained it.<ref name=Hyman /> During the early 20th century, ''The Tely'', as it was popularly known was one of the first Canadian newspapers to introduce Saturday (and in 1957 Sunday) colour comics section (which by its later years spanned two sections), and a radio (and after 1952 television) magazine with listings for the entire week. Following the death of Robertson's widow in 1947, the paper was bought by [[George McCullagh]], the publisher of ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', for {{CAD|3.6&nbsp;million}}.<ref name=Hyman /> ''Evening'' was dropped from the paper's name in 1949.

McCullagh died in 1952, and the paper was then purchased by [[John W. H. Bassett]] for {{CAD|4.25&nbsp;million}}<ref name=Hyman /> with money borrowed from the [[Eaton's|Eaton]] family.<ref name=Brehl /> In March 1957, the paper introduced a Sunday edition, the first Toronto paper to do so, and was threatened by the [[Attorney-General of Ontario]] with charges under the ''[[Lord's Day Act (Canada)|Lord's Day Act]]''.<ref>"Prosecutions put Lord's Day Act on spot--Queen's Park," ''Toronto Daily Star'', March 20, 1957, p. 1.</ref> The Sunday edition was unsuccessful and ceased publication after four months.<ref name=Brehl />

In December 1959, Bassett bought a {{convert|3.6|acre|m2|adj=on}} property on [[Front Street (Toronto)|Front Street]] West (formerly [[Regis College (Toronto)]]/[[Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School|Loretto Abbey]]) and in 1963 moved the ''Telegram'' to a new building at that location from the site at Bay and Melinda Street where the paper had been produced since 1899. At the same time, [[Telegram Corporation]] acquired a majority interest in Toronto TV station [[CFTO-TV]].

In July 1964, the [[International Typographical Union]] called a strike at the ''Telegram'', the ''Star'', and ''The Globe and Mail''. All three papers continued to publish despite the strike.

The ''Telegram'' lost {{CAD|635,000}} in 1969 and $921,000 in 1970 and was on pace to lose another $900,000 in 1971 when it was shut down that year by Bassett on October 30,<ref>"Toronto Telegram 1876-1971", ''Ottawa Citizen'', October 30, 1971, p. 1</ref> just as a strike was looming.<ref>{{cite news |title=Negotiators given mandate for strike in Telegram dispute |first=Wilfred |last=List |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 17, 1971 |p=5}}</ref> Many employees moved to the ''[[Toronto Sun]]'', which launched the Monday after the ''Telegram'' ceased publication. The ''Telegram'' subscriber list was sold to the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' for {{CAD|10&nbsp;million}}. The ''Star'' also leased the ''Telegram'''s Front Street facility, until it was sold to ''[[The Globe and Mail]]''.

In the book ''The Death of the Toronto Telegram'' (1971), the former ''Telegram'' writer [[Jock Carroll]] described the decline of the paper and provided many anecdotes about the Canadian newspaper business from the 1950s to 1970.

York University's library holds about 500,000 prints and 830,000 negatives of pictures taken by the ''Telegram''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s photographers.<ref>[http://www.library.yorku.ca/ccm/ArchivesSpecialCollections/FindingAids/Telegram/Telegram1.htm Telegram fonds]</ref> Over 13,000 images are currently searchable on line, with more appearing on a regular basis.<ref>[http://digital.library.yorku.ca/yul-f0433/toronto-telegram Telegram images]</ref>

==Notable staff members==

Well-known reporters, editors, columnists and cartoonists included:
{{div col}}
*[[George Bain (journalist)|George Bain]] - later joined the ''Globe and Mail'' and ''Toronto Star''
*[[Isabel Bassett]] - also a reporter at [[CFTO]] and wife of publisher [[John W. H. Bassett]], later a provincial cabinet minister under Mike Harris
*[[Jock Carroll]] - later an author and book editor
*[[Greg Clark (journalist)|Greg Clark]] - previously a war correspondent and reporter with the ''Toronto Daily Star'', was a humour columnist at the ''Telegram''
*[[Gordon Donaldson (journalist)|Gordon Donaldson]]<ref>"Toronto reporter and writer Gordon Donaldson dies at 74," ''Expositor'', Brantford, Ontario: June 12, 2001, pg. A.24.</ref> - reporter, later an author, television journalist and producer at CBC and CTV
*[[Andy Donato]] - art director and cartoonist who was a key player in founding the ''Toronto Sun''
*[[John Downing]] - later editor-in-chief of the ''Toronto Sun''
*[[Frank Drea]] award-winning labour reporter, later a provincial cabinet minister under Bill Davis
*[[Aaron Einfrank]] - award-winning journalist, United Nations Bureau Chief; Moscow Bureau Chief; Washington D.C. News Bureau Chief
*[[Lillian Foster]] - fashion editor and columnist
*[[Doug Fisher (politician)|Doug Fisher]] - freelance columnist while initially an NDP Member of Parliament, later joined the ''Toronto Sun''
*[[John Fraser (journalist)|John Fraser]] - later a columnist for the  ''Toronto Sun'', ''Globe and Mail'', ''Toronto Star'' and ''National Post'', editor of ''[[Saturday Night (magazine)|Saturday Night]]'', Master of [[Massey College]]
*[[Trent Frayne]] - later a sports columnist for the ''Toronto Sun'', ''Globe and Mail'' and ''Maclean's Magazine''
*[[Clyde Gilmour]] - CBC Radio broadcaster and later ''Toronto Star'' movie reviewer
*[[Dale Goldhawk]] - later a broadcaster at CBC, CTV and Rogers
*[[George Gross (journalist)|George Gross]] - later ''Toronto Sun'' sports editor
*[[Ron Haggart]] - crime correspondent who played a key in ending the [[1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot]].
*[[Fraser Kelly]] - political editor, later news anchor at CFTO and CBLT
*[[Robert Kirkland Kernighan]] - columnist and poet
*[[Bob MacDonald (journalist)|Bob MacDonald]] - later a ''Toronto Sun'' columnist
*[[J. Douglas MacFarlane]] - vice-president and editor-in-chief, 50 years in the newspaper business, 1949 to 1969 at the ''Telegram'', from city editor, advancing to top editorial position
*[[C.A. (Arnie) Patterson]] Later founder of [[CFDR]] and [[CFRQ]] radio, Dartmouth NS and Press Secretary to [[Pierre Elliott Trudeau]]
*[[H.W. (Pat) Patterson]] - North American politics editor
*[[Earl Pomerantz]] - later a U.S. television sitcom writer-producer
* Gary Ralph - covered many front-page stories including The October Crisis and Woodstock in the five years leading to the Tely's last edition. Award winner for his police reporting.
*[[Jessie M. Read]] - Food Economist (Joined 1934) ''Three Meals A Day'' and First Cooking School Film in Canada ''Kitchen Talks'' and Radio Cooking School CKCL Toronto
*[[Ted Reeve]] - later at ''Toronto Sun''
*[[Paul Rimstead]] - later at ''Toronto Sun''
*[[Judith Robinson]] - contributed a daily column from 1953 to 1961. 
*[[Margaret Scrivener]] - later a provincial cabinet minister under [[Bill Davis]]
*[[Merle Shain]] - feature writer, later associate editor of the ''[[Chatelaine (magazine)|Chatelaine]]'', and as a columnist for ''Toronto Sun''
*[[Walter Stewart (journalist)|Walter Stewart]] - later at ''Toronto Sun''
*[[Bert Wemp]] - reporter who became mayor of Toronto (1930)
*[[Ben Wicks]] - cartoonist, later joined the ''Toronto Star''
*[[Peter Worthington]] - played a major role in starting the ''[[Toronto Sun]]'' and served, initially, as its editor
*[[Ritchie Yorke]] - later music writer for ''The Globe and Mail'',  Canadian editor of ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine and ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
*[[Scott Young (writer)|Scott Young]] - sports reporter and father of singer [[Neil Young]], later ''Globe and Mail'
*[[Lubor J. Zink]] - later a ''Toronto Sun'' columnist
{{end div col}}

==See also==

* ''[[Toronto Standard (1848)|Toronto Standard]]'' 1848-49
* ''[[Toronto Star]]'' 1892 to present
* ''[[Toronto Sun]]'' 1971 to present
* ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' 1936 to present
** ''[[The Globe (Toronto newspaper)|The Globe]]'' 1844-1936
** ''[[The Mail and Empire]]'' 1895-1936
*** ''[[The Toronto Mail]]'' 1872-1895
*** ''[[Toronto Empire]]'' 1872-1895

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

*{{cite book | first=Jock | last=Carroll | year=1971 | title=The death of the Toronto Telegram & other newspaper stories | publisher=Simon & Schuster of Canada | location=Richmond Hill, Ont. | isbn=0-671-78184-7 }}
*{{cite book | first=Ron | last=Poulton |  year=1971 | title=The paper tyrant: John Ross Robertson of the Toronto Telegram | url=https://archive.org/details/papertyrantjohnr0000poul | url-access=registration | publisher=[[Clarke, Irwin & Company]]| location=Toronto | isbn=0-7720-0492-7 }}
*Toronto: Past and Present / A Handbook of the city.  C. Pelham Mulvany (Toronto:  W. E. Caiger Publisher, 1884). Toronto Evening Telegram history:  pp.&nbsp;193–194.
*Canada's Newspaper Legend: The Story of J. Douglas MacFarlane by Richard MacFarlane (Toronto: ECW Press Ltd., 2000) Newspaper History in Canada, Biography, 300 pp.

==External links==
*[https://digital.library.yorku.ca/yul-f0433/toronto-telegram Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections, York University] - Archival photographs from the ''Toronto Telegram'' fonds.

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Robarts Library, University of Toronto. Archival and photograph collection of J. Douglas MacFarlane's newspaper career in Toronto.

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Newspapers published in Toronto]]
[[Category:Defunct newspapers published in Ontario]]
[[Category:Newspapers established in 1876]]
[[Category:Publications disestablished in 1971]]
[[Category:Daily newspapers published in Ontario]]
[[Category:1876 establishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:1971 disestablishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:Conservative media in Canada]]