The Toronto Star at 100
The Toronto Star 1892 - 1992
A Century of a Paper For The People
In 1892 Toronto was a bustling city of 180,000 with six newspapers competing for readers when a seventh daily, a self-styled "Paper for the People", suddenly appears on the streets.
Those printers may have lacked capital and business experience. But they were inspired by the hope that a paper reflecting the concerns of working people like themselves could catch on in an already overcrowded field.
That dream outlasted their early enthusiasm. After initial successes the paper ran into financial problems. New owners stepped in to keep it alive, for various reasons, but they couldn't halt a steady drop in sales. Then a rising young journalist, a 34-year-old Joseph E. Atkinson was appointed editor on Dec. 13, 1899, and things promptly began to improve.
The Evening Star had been bought by admirers of Sir Wilfrid Laurier to support the new prime minister. When they asked Mr. Atkinson to run it, he agreed on two conditions: The Star would be independent of any political party and he'd be paid $5,000 a year, $3,000 in cash and the rest in shares.
Like printers before him, Mr. Atkinson was imbued with the idea of publishing a paper for ordinary people. As a boy he had known hardship and need. His widowed mother took in boarders to support her eight children. After she died, Joe left school at age 14 to work in a woollen mill. When it burned down a few weeks later, he had no job; only private charity kept him from hunger.
These experiences had a lasting impact on young Joe Atkinson. First as a clerk at a weekly paper, later as a reporter and editor on the Toronto Globe and the Montreal Herald, extensive reading made him aware of great social changes then stirring in Britain. Along with his Methodist upbringing, his early life convinced him that liberalism was the way to a better future.
The circulation of The Evening Star was at an all-time low when Mr. Atkinson took over. Drawing on his experience as an editor, he quickly revamped and revitalized the paper.
Ads were moved off the front page to play up broader news coverage. Sports pages grew livelier. Society items gave way to a column for the lovelorn as well as meaty articles on women's issues. Its name slightly altered, The Toronto Daily Star caught the public eye with contests, promotions and premiums.
At the same time, Mr. Atkinson proved to be an astute businessman, more so than many other fine editors. He kept a sharp eye on expenses, tabulated his receipts each night and put off capital projects until he could pay for them in cash.
After one year, circulation was up from 7,000 to 10,000; by 1903, it passed 21,000. Meanwhile, as the paper gathered strength and influence, Mr. Atkinson planned for its future. Aware that any successful publication required a clearly defined constituency, he settled on ordinary working people who needed a strong voice in the community; their interests and cares became The Star's.
Through the paper, in fact, and as chairman of a Liberal Party advisory committee in 1916, Mr. Atkinson helped to develop Canada's modern welfare system. His technique was to publish detailed articles on the social reforms in other lands -- especially in Britain -- and then to follow up with carefully reasoned editorials, pressing for similar advances at home.
Over the years, his crusades were many, varied, very often successful. Long before they became law, The Star campaigned for mothers' allowances, unemployment insurance, old-age pensions and the first phases of our national health plan. To the deep annoyance of many other businessmen, Mr. Atkinson also championed minimum wages and the rights of labour unions.
Coupled with that strong social conscience, his flare for popular journalism so appealed to the public that The Star's circulation and advertising increased steadily. By 1913 it was Toronto's largest paper and Mr. Atkinson had become the controlling shareholder.
After he died in 1948, his will left The Star to a Charitable foundation he'd established in 1942, both to be run by trustees familiar with Mr. Atkinson's policies and beliefs. But a retroactive change in Ontario law barred such a foundation from owning more than ten per cent of any profit-making business. So his trustees were given court permission to buy the paper in 1958, after promising to uphold its longstanding traditions.
Today, a century after the Paper for the People was born and 48 years after Joseph Atkinson's death, The Toronto Star continues to respect and reflect his finest principles.
Beland Honderich
Chronology
NOVEMBER 3, 1892
The first edition of The Evening Star appeared with the slogan A Paper For The People, on Page 1. The four-page paper, published by 21 printers and four apprentices locked out at the Toronto News, sold for a cent. It was printed in the third floor offices of the World at 83 Yonge Street.
Publication was suspended in the Great Panic of 1893, which caused unemployment and closures across the U.S. and Canada. Most of the founding printers had already returned to the News. Three weeks later, publication resumed under new ownership of William J. Gage, the first of a succession of different owners over the next six years.
The Star moved to 26-28 Adelaide Street West.
Joseph E. Atkinson, who spent eight years at the Globe before becoming managing editor of the Montreal Herald in 1897, returned to Toronto as manager and editor of The Star. He came at the request of a group of Toronto Liberals who purchased the paper for $32,000. The paper had a circulation of 7,000 and 52 people on the payroll. Mr. Atkinson's name first appeared in the masthead December 21, 1899. Under the terms of his contract, Mr. Atkinson was eventually able to acquire controlling interest of The Star.
The paper's name was changed to The Toronto Daily Star.
In the grip of one of the worst heat waves in record, The Star helped raise money for fresh air funds run by charitable groups. The following year, The Star Fresh Air Fund was established to help underprivileged children escape the summer heat.
The Star became the first newspaper in the history of Canadian journalism to use the wireless to cover news. A wireless set was installed on the steamer Niagara during the Canada Cup races off Hanlan's Point. A Star sports writer sent reports to a station on Toronto Island which were then telephoned to the newsroom.
The Star moved to new premises, purchased for $150,000, AT 18-20 King Street West. The building, erected in 1878, gave The Star the largest newspaper offices in Canada. The paper had a circulation of 37,000, five telegraph services and a staff of more than 100, including 23 writers.
The Star's Santa Claus Fund was established at the beginning of a depression with the goal of ensuring no child under 13 was overlooked at Christmas.
The Star moved into first place among Toronto daily newspapers with circulation of 65,000. In 1899, its circulation had been last among Toronto newspapers.
The first edition of The Star Weekly containing The Spell of the White Silence, a short story by Robert Service, sold 9,469 copies.
Daily newspaper prices in Toronto rose to two cents.
The Star became the first newspaper in Canada to use new rotogravure printing techniques.
The Star became a pioneer in broadcasting by establishing its own radio station -- CFCA. The Star sponsored the first public demonstrations of radio in Canada and a Star truck carried the first portable radio unit on a tour of fall fairs in 1922 and 1923. CFCA was the first radio station to broadcast a hockey game, launching the career of broadcaster Foster Hewitt in March, 1923 from Toronto's Mutual Street Arena. The Star supported public ownership of radio and CFCA went off the air September 1, 1933, following passage of the federal Broadcasting Act in 1932. Mr. Atkinson believed the act firmly established radio as the government monopoly and that there would be a slight place for private radio stations.
The Star Weekly absorbed the Sunday World and became the one weekend magazine in the city.
The Star moved to its new building 80 King Street West. With 650 employees and a circulation of 175,000, it had become the largest circulation newspaper in Canada.
The Star was one of the few newspapers in Canada not to lose circulation during the worst year of the depression. Star circulation exceeded the rival Telegram by 4,000 copies a day in the city. In the suburbs, The Star outsold the Telegram by three to one, and in the province by ten to one.
Daily newspaper prices in Toronto rose to three cents. 1942 The Atkinson Charitable Foundation was incorporated.
Joseph E. Atkinson died, leaving The Star to the Atkinson Charitable Foundation. Mr. Atkinson's son, Joseph Story Atkinson, was elected chairman of the board and president of the foundation and Harry C. Hindmarsh, Mr. Atkinson's son-in-law, was elected president of The Star.
The Ontario government introduced the Charitable Gifts Act, limiting charities to no more than a 10 per cent interest in businesses. The bill was later amended to give charities seven years to divest.
The Star became the first Canadian newspaper to sign a contract with the newspaper guild.
The price of The Star increased to five cents a copy.
The Harbour plant at One Yonge Street opened to print The Star Weekly on modern rotogravure presses. The new ink manufacturing plant opened on the same property.
H.C. Hindmarsh died. Five weeks later, Beland Honderich, who became editor-in-chief in 1955, was appointed a director of The Star.
The Star increased its price to 10 cents and the Globe and Mail and the Evening Telegram followed suit a week later. Circulation plummeted. From a daily average of 387,000, Star circulation dropped to 320,000 in 1958 and 316,000 in 1959.
The sale of The Star, required under the Charitable Gifts Act, was completed. It was sold to the five trustees of the Atkinson Charitable Foundation - J.S. Atkinson, Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh, W.J. Campbell, Dr. B.M. Thall and Beland Honderich for $25,555,000, the highest price paid to that date for a newspaper property anywhere.
Four-colour pictures appeared in The Star for the first time during the Royal Tour of that year.
The Star became the first newspaper in Canada to use Linofilm photocomposition in typesetting.
Beland Honderich was elected president and publisher of Toronto Star Limited. Mr. J.S. Atkinson was elected chairman of the board.
The first edition of StarTVWeek appeared.
The Star announced it would accept beer, wine and liquor product advertisements.
After 58 years of publication, The Star Weekly was taken over by Canadian Magazine. The new Canadian/Star Weekly was launched October 7 and sold across Canada for 20 cents.
Mr. J.S. Atkinson died.
The ink department, established October 1, 1937, stopped manufacturing ink because the land was needed for the new 25-storey Star building at One Yonge Street.
John Bassett announced that the Telegram would cease publication. The Telegram's last edition appeared October 30, 1971.
The first edition of The Star was printed in the new Crabtree Vickers' presses at One Yonge Street.
The first edition of The Toronto Sun appeared.
The paper's name was changed to The Toronto Star.
The Star moved its operations from 80 King Street to a new building at One Yonge Street. The new building was officially opened the following May.
The Toronto Sun published its first Sunday edition.
The last edition of the Canadian/Star Weekly was published.
The Toronto Star acquired a controlling interest in Harlequin Enterprises.
A corporate reorganization was approved by the board of directors under which Toronto Star Ltd. would be a holding company and The Toronto Star newspaper would become a wholly-owned subsidiary. A year later the holding company was officially named 浩博体育.
Beland Honderich was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 浩博体育.
The Star published its first Sunday edition.
Torstar acquired the remaining 30 per cent of Harlequin Enterprises.
The morning edition of The Toronto Star was launched.
浩博体育 delivery of the morning paper began.
Torstar and Southam signed a share exchange agreement under which Torstar acquired a 23 per cent interest in Southam and Southam acquired about 30 per cent of Torstar's non-voting shares.
Beland Honderich announced his retirement as The Star's publisher. He continued as Torstar Chairman. David Jolley was appointed publisher of The Star, the fifth since Joseph E. Atkinson came to the paper in 1899.
Construction began on The Star's new $400 million Press Centre in Vaughan.
For the first time, the public saw the new format and the kind of colour reproduction the presses at the Press Centre could achieve with the publication of a special preview section.
The Press Centre was officially opened