Follow me
info@mikecohen.ca

As weekly newspapers close The Suburban thrives

It is ironic that on the very same day that The Suburban formally unveiled plans for expanded news coverage via our new website, set to launch on Monday, October 19, two once proud community newspapers were put to sleep.  Rest in Peace Westmount Examiner and West Island News and Chronicle.

As a journalist and a communications professional, I am never happy to see any media outlet disappear. Part of the Transcontinental chain of weekly newspapers, the Examiner and the Chronicle follow the path that began in 2009 when The Monitor (briefly known as the West End Chronicle) folded. At the time Transcontinental folks insisted the paper was simply transforming into an online edition. I began my journalism career at the age of 16 writing sports stories for The Monitor.

As Transcontinental let the Examiner slide, publisher David Price swooped in and created the Westmount Independent. In very little time, the Examiner was playing second fiddle. Its editions better resembled promotional flyers and in the last few years there was not even a local office. Price also filled the void of The Monitor with the Free Press.

The Chronicle, in its day, was one heck of a paper. It was originally printed in broadsheet (like The Gazette). I always remembered how professional it looked. The Suburban launched a West Island edition in 1988 and The Gazette started one as well.  There was also the Hudson Gazette, later to become the Vaudreuil-Soulanges. My good friend Jim Duff and his wife ran that operation. It folded mysteriously last year.  Your Local Journal is another West Island weekly still in print. Ditto for Cité Nouvelles. And of course there is The Montreal Times, a drop off you can see just about everywhere.

 None of these papers can compare themselves to The Suburban. We have a print circulation of 140,000. There are three regional editions:  City (Côte Saint-Luc, Hampstead, Montreal West, Westmount, Snowdon, Côte des Neiges, TMR, St. Laurent, Downtown, LaSalle, Verdun), West Island (now including Hudson and St. Lazare) and Laval-East End. Not only do we cover such a wide area, but because of our already excellent website (the new version turns a  Mercedes Benz into a Rolls Royce) people can read the paper wherever they are. It is only going to get better on October 19, election day. Our new Associate Publisher Oliver Sutton and editor Beryl Wajsman quite rightly say that we will become a daily, with breaking news available all of the time. This how I feel about my blog, which I am grateful to say has a large following. For the last few years the blog has been hosted externally. It now becomes part of the new site.

It is too bad about the Examiner in The Chronicle. I am most sad for the staff who will lose their jobs.  

Related

My 2023 Year in Review as City Councillor For District 2 and portfolio holder

It has been 18 years now since I was...

Maisons Fleuries reception returns to a live in-person format

The first in-person annual Maisons Fleuries Contest Awards presentation...

People step for our used air conditioner and fan campaign

A few weeks ago, Ariel Davidson and I put...

A call for air conditioners and fans for those who need them

With the first heatwave of the summer season upon...

Newsletter

Don't miss

Renoir at the Sofitel has a successful relaunch; Moishes thrives; and sushi talk

It was only a few years ago that I...

I have been acclaimed to a sixth term in office

I express appreciation for my acclamation to Côte Saint-Luc...

CSL Golf Classic and Gardens of Distinction Banquet was a fun time for all

For the second year in a row, the City...

Côte Saint-Luc Honours Volunteers at 2025 Event

Côte Saint-Luc Honours Volunteers at 2025 event In the City...

Experience you can count on! / Une expérience sur laquelle vous pouvez compter!

RE-ELECT COUNCILLOR MIKE COHENIN DISTRICT 2 ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER ...
Mike Cohen
Mike Cohenhttps://mikecohen.ca
Mike Cohen, born and raised in Côte Saint-Luc, has long been active in the community as a volunteer, journalist, and consultant. He attended local schools and was first elected as City Councillor for District 2 in 2005. Since then, he has been re-elected in each municipal election, most recently in 2021.

Renoir at the Sofitel has a successful relaunch; Moishes thrives; and sushi talk

It was only a few years ago that I first experienced  Renoir,  the signature French restaurant of the renowned Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile.  I...

I have been acclaimed to a sixth term in office

I express appreciation for my acclamation to Côte Saint-Luc City Council I am pleased to announce that I have been acclaimed for my sixth term...

CSL Golf Classic and Gardens of Distinction Banquet was a fun time for all

For the second year in a row, the City of Côte Saint-Luc held a banquet at the Aquatic and Community Centre to recognize participants...