Hamilton Media

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

This is not Stoney Creek. It never was. It is only a block from Carmens.

It is basically across the street from Stoney Creek. It is just as close to the Home Depot on Stonechurch as it is to Carmens.

[drpgq]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

They were never going to move downtown. Most of their employees live in Burlington or the surrounding areas. Same with CHCH they may have promised a downtown office but it's unlikely it will ever happen. Too many out of town employees as well.

If you live in Burlington going to Pritchard is a big downgrade from the present site. Who knows what kind of deal they got there. Torstar's financial situation is incredibly dire, considering that the Spec property selling price was an appreciable portion of Torstar's market cap.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by drpgq

If you live in Burlington going to Pritchard is a big downgrade from the present site. Who knows what kind of deal they got there. Torstar's financial situation is incredibly dire, considering that the Spec property selling price was an appreciable portion of Torstar's market cap.

It is right at the Upper Red Hill extention exit. So now instead of taking the 403 they take the QEW to the RHVP.

[mishap]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

This is not Stoney Creek. It never was. It is only a block from Carmens.

Bingo. The local paper, and they get the geography wrong. The dividing line is more or less URHVP. Someone noticed though and made sure the headline was accurate. At least they're only out by a few metres. Outlets that pretend to be local, like inthehammer, are often much more inaccurate.

[realcity]

Even Eastgate Mall is in Hamilton and always referred to as SC. I worked there and the phone # was a 547 exchange. SC is 662 and 664. It drives me nuts. The SC sign on Queenston is well within Hamilton. Lake Ave is the border for the lower city. Carmens, Stonechurch and Pritchard are in Hamilton.

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by realcity

Lake Ave is the border for the lower city.

Many houses/businesses have SC addresses and are west of Lake Ave. My brother's apartment is across the street from Battlefield Park and it has a SC address.

[king10]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

I thought they should have moved into the Stelco Towers and take a floor. Call it the Spectator Building. It would look great with with huge "The Hamilton Spectator" and "TORSTAR" illuminated sign on top at each corner.

Would have to rent more than a single floor to change the name of the building and have their name slapt across the top. I believe Hamilton Health Sciences and the City each have or will have at least 3 floors.

[king10]

Originally Posted by realcity

Even Eastgate Mall is in Hamilton and always referred to as SC. I worked there and the phone # was a 547 exchange. SC is 662 and 664. It drives me nuts. The SC sign on Queenston is well within Hamilton. Lake Ave is the border for the lower city. Carmens, Stonechurch and Pritchard are in Hamilton.

Part of the Eastgate parking lot is old Stoney Creek. Lake Ave isn't the boundary line(there isn't much of a line, its a jig saw). Its Grays road on Barton, then goes West to almost Centennial on King St. The old Stoney Creek arena is well West of Lake Ave.

This article explains the boundary well.

https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/2015/...per-and-lower/

All the apartment buildings and businesses on the north side of Queenston are in Stoney Creek. (9 Riverdale Drive is also in Stoney Creek on the northwest corner of Queenston and Riverdale)

Everything else north of Queenston Road is in Hamilton’s Riverdale neighbourhood.

Eastgate Square is almost always referred to as being in Stoney Creek. Except for a sliver of the parking lot at Centennial and Queenston, the entire mall is on the Hamilton side of the boundary. The mall self identifies as Stoney Creek.

[mishap]

Originally Posted by king10

Part of the Eastgate parking lot is old Stoney Creek. Lake Ave isn't the boundary line(there isn't much of a line, its a jig saw). Its Grays road on Barton, then goes West to almost Centennial on King St. The old Stoney Creek arena is well West of Lake Ave.

The boundary is close to Gray/Grays it jumps from one side to the other at the utility corridor. Houses on both sides of the street would be in the same city. That is also why the street has a different name in each city. North of Barton, a few larger buildings were literally split between the two cities.
A lot of people don't realize that the the plaza south of Eastgate was in a different city from the mall. It was a problem for me in an era before Canada-wide calling when I lived in Ancaster. It was a long distance call to home. I literally had to cross the street to use the phones at Eastgate. The Beer Store was built after amalgamation, and if I'm not mistaken, the old boundary runs right through the building.
That boundary map is pretty good, however, every other map I've seen has shown Webster Rd as the dividing line. It's funny to note that Stoney Creek Cemetery on King St is completely within Hamilton.
People would doubt me when I would tell them that Stoney Creek has never had a Walmart (as neither Eastgate nor the new location are in SC) and the closest WM to Stoney Creek is Elfrida (literally across the street).

[thistleclub]

Having redesigned the physical paper to mirror the design template of the Toronto Star, the Spec has now adopted the Star's web template as well, though under the thin pretence of "months of redesigning thespec.com to better serve you."

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

Having redesigned the physical paper to mirror the design template of the Toronto Star, the Spec has now adopted the Star's web template as well, though under the thin pretence of "months of redesigning thespec.com to better serve you."

It's about bloody time! I found the former design so unpleasant...

[realcity]

Urbanicity is not printing. too bad I liked their design

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

It's about bloody time! I found the former design so unpleasant...

It may be that I just got used to the older setup, but I'm not enjoying the new format as much. I've adapted, but still.

I fear that the de-Spec-ifacation has begun. And that pretty soon we'll be relegated to "Toronto Star - Hamilton" branding.

However... CBC's news coverage has become more important to me, recently.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

It may be that I just got used to the older setup, but I'm not enjoying the new format as much. I've adapted, but still.

The mobile app was recently updated as well, and I think it's a huge improvement.

[mishap]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

The mobile app was recently updated as well, and I think it's a huge improvement.

The biggest improvement is that it actually works! I would sign in and if it was successful the login page would lock up. I could back out and click the link again, and my login would be remembered, but not for long. Mobile or PC, it was the same thing. Yet the same Spec login would work flawlessly over on The Star's website (and pretty much only The Star... it would freeze on just about every sister paper's site).

[thistleclub]

Torstar to be sold, taken private in $52-million deal
(Toronto Star, Josh Rubin, May 26 2020)

The company that publishes the Toronto Star has agreed to be sold to a company run by entrepreneurs Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett in a deal worth roughly $52 million.

Torstar, a print and digital publishing company that runs newspapers and websites across the country, including the Toronto Star and thestar.com, announced the deal with NordStar Capital Tuesday evening.

Tuesday, Torstar’s B shares fell 16 per cent, closing at 40 cents per share, giving up some of their gains from the day before, when they rose from as low as 33 cents to 48 cents per share, with most of the gains coming in the last hour of trading on the TSX. NordStar’s offer is worth 63 cents per share, for all Class A voting shares and Class B non-voting shares.

“We believe in news. With this transaction we can ensure a future for world-class journalists and world-class journalism befitting the paper’s storied history,” said Bitove. “We are committed to investing in the news business, along with preserving the Atkinson Principles, as fairness and accuracy will continue to guide the papers’ prevailing value system.”

“Since its inception as the Evening Star, The Star has been the voice of this city. As Canada’s largest daily newspaper, it has fulfilled a vital civic role as an outlet for expert opinion and what’s trusted as true,” said Rivett, who stepped down recently as president of Fairfax Financial Holdings. Fairfax, controlled by insurance magnate Prem Watsa, had held 40 per cent of Torstar’s non-voting shares at the time of the deal.

Bitove and Rivett said former Ontario premier David Peterson will be vice chair of the company, which they intend to take private. Current Torstar CEO John Boynton will remain in his role. The deal was approved by Torstar’s board of directors, a “significant majority” of Class A voting shareholders, as well as Fairfax.

NordStar, controlled by Bitove and Rivett, and owned by their families, said just over 60 per cent of shareholders had already agreed to the transaction. A special shareholders’ meeting will be held in mid-July to formally vote on the deal.

In a joint statement, Bitove and Rivett said taking the company private will allow it to focus on long-term goals, rather than quarterly results.…

Besides the Toronto Star, Torstar owns six other daily newspaper in Ontario including The Hamilton Spectator and Waterloo Region Record, some 70 community newspapers and numerous news sites and digital properties.

Read it in full here.

[Innsertnamehere]

Hopefully this is good news. Torstar was terribly mismanaged, just one bad decision after another.

Crazy to think that it sold for $50 million given that at its peak in the early 2000’s it had a valuation of over $2 billion. How a giant has fallen.

Hopefully the buyers are looking to turn the company around, not raid the corporate war chest and run.

[King&James]

Didn't the Spec Frid property sell for $25MM, so buyer paid for that in the $50MM (unless they turned through $25MM in months)

[thistleclub]

Toronto Star owner Torstar to launch online casino in 2021
(Toronto Star, Jacob Lorinc, Mar 1 2021)

The corporation announced Monday it intends to launch an online casino betting brand in 2021 pending approval from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

“As an Ontario-based media business and trusted brand for more than 128 years, we believe Torstar will provide a unique and responsible gaming brand that creates new jobs, offers growth for the Ontario economy, and generates new tax revenue to help support important programs in our province,” said Corey Goodman, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Torstar, in a statement.

At present, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is the only operator approved to offer online gambling in Ontario. But the Ontario government promised to open up the market to private operators in its most recent budget, enacting legislation that gives the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario the authority to issue licences to private companies.

“We want to ensure the new marketplace is well represented with a Canadian, Ontario-based gaming brand so that more of our players’ entertainment dollars stay in our province,” said Paul Rivett, Chair and co-owner of Torstar.

“Doing this as part of Torstar will help support the growth and expansion of quality community-based journalism.”

Read it in full here.

[TheRitsman]

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