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FORT ST. JOHN —
The Fort Nelson News has announced that they will be shutting down its newspaper and online edition.
The newspaper says it’s due to “the worldwide trend embracing social media and the internet” and “the slump in local business activity, which has aggravated the situation over the years.” The final edition will be September 13 and the business will officially close on September 29.
The newspaper first opened its doors on October 20th, 1959 by newspaper publisher Margaret L. Murray. Her newspaper, the Alaska Highway News, carried news of Fort Nelson sent in by residents. News stories and ads were stuffed into a large envelope and sent by bus to Fort St. John. The newspapers were returned in a bus.
The newspaper was later sold to former newspaperman, Robert L. Angus. He worked for newspapers in Vancouver before opening a café in Charlie Lake. The building later burned down so he bought the newspaper business for $3,000 with his insurance money along with a table, typewriter and a camera.
In 1966, Anthony and Judith Kenyon and their four-year-old daughter, Abigail, arrived from London, England. The Kenyons abandoned the large envelope and the bus ride to Fort St. John for two blue typesetters with layout boards. The news company grew to two full-time staff members, several part-timers, a darkroom and deadlines.
In 1986, the newspaper went digital with the purchase of Mac computers. More colour was added and a website. Paid subscribers were able to now access their paper on the web.
“We worked hard to keep it going because very few people covered Fort Nelson. So we’ve been trying to do that job and now we can no longer do it because it’s very hard to cover local coverage. Local media is really suffering and therefore, local stories are not being covered,” says Judith Kenyon.
The Fort Nelson News serves Fort Nelson, the Alaska Highway, the Northern Rockies, Watson Lake, the Horn River Basin, Fort Liard, and the South Mackenzie in the Northwest Territories.
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