Tindle
{{short description|Media company in the British Isles}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Tindle Group
| logo = Tindle.png
| type = Private
| logo_size = 100px
| foundation = 1950s
| location = Farnham, Surrey
| industry = Media
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| divisions = {{Unbulleted list|Tindle Newspapers|Tindle Radio}}
| homepage = {{url| https://www.tindlenews.co.uk/}}
| footnotes =
| area_served = {{Unbulleted list|United Kingdom|Republic of Ireland|Channel Islands|Isle of Man}}
| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Danny Cammiade (CEO)|Owen Tindle (Chairman)|Wendy Craig (Vice Chairman)}}
| num_employees = 250
}}
The Tindle Group is a British multimedia company operating regional newspapers and radio stations across the British Isles.
It publishes over 200 local newspapers in the United Kingdom, a number of which are over a hundred years old.{{fact|date=November 2022}}
The company is based in Farnham, Surrey, under CEO Danny Cammiade.{{when|date=October 2024}}{{fact|date=October 2024}}
It is owned by the Tindle family. Founder Sir Ray Tindle was a "strong believer in 'ultra-local' journalism",{{cite web | url = http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/tag/tindle-newspapers/ | publisher = Hold the Front Page | title = Tindle Newspaper Group | accessdate = 2012-02-16}} a culture which the company still follows today.{{fact|date=November 2022}} He remained the company's president until his death in 2022.{{cite web |title=Sir Ray Tindle, former News Letter owner, dies at age of 95 |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/business/sir-ray-tindle-former-news-letter-owner-dies-at-age-of-95-3657674 |website=www.newsletter.co.uk |publisher=Belfast News Letter |access-date=18 April 2022 |language=en}} His son, Owen Tindle, took over as chairman in 2017.{{Cite web |title=Owen Tindle succeeds father Sir Ray as Tindle chairman – Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage |url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2017/news/son-succeeds-father-as-regional-publishers-chairman/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=HoldtheFrontPage |language=en-GB}}
Newspapers
The Tindle newspaper empire started out in the 1950s, when Sir Ray Tindle acquired the Tooting & Balham Gazette with his £300 demob payment after his time serving during the Second World War.{{cite web |title=History |url=http://tindlenews.co.uk/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718150611/tindlenews.co.uk/history |archive-date=2019-07-18 | website=tindlenews.co.uk | publisher=Tindle Newspapers Ltd |language=en}}
At the company's peak, Tindle Newspapers owned and operated more than 220 local titles.{{fact|date=October 2024}}
The following is a partial list of newspapers owned by the company:{{cite web |title=News Brands |url=http://www.tindlenews.co.uk/brands/ |website=tindlenews.co.uk |publisher=Tindle Press Holdings Ltd |access-date=14 August 2021}}
{{div col |colwidth=22em}}
- Abergavenny Chronicle
- Admart
- Alton Post Gazette
- Biggin Hill News
- Bordon Messenger
- Bordon Post
- Brecon & Radnor Express
- Cambrian News
- Chew Valley Gazette
- Cornish & Devon Post
- Cornish Times
- County Echo
- Crediton Courier
- Dawlish Gazette
- Edenbridge Chronicle
- Faringdon Newspapers
- Farnham Herald
- The Forester
- The Glamorgan Gem
- Godalming Messenger
- Haslemere Messenger
- Isle of Man Newspapers
- Leigh Times
- Life Magazines
- Meon Valley News
- Mid Devon Advertiser
- Monmouthshire Beacon
- North Cornwall Advertiser
- Petersfield Messenger
- The Ross Gazette
- South Hams Gazette
- Surrey & Hants News
- Tavistock Times
- Tenby Observer
- Wellington Weekly News
- West Somerset Free Press
- Woking News and Mail{{cite news |date= 4 October 2022 |title= Tindle Newspapers purchases Woking News & Mail |url= https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/tindle-newspapers-purchases-woking-news-and-mail-21222 |work= InPublishing |access-date= 20 December 2022}}
{{div col end}}
In 2019, Tindle Newspaper Group closed four of their local newspapers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/tindle-newspapers-closes-essex-based-yellow-advertiser-series/|title=Tindle Newspapers closes Essex-based Yellow Advertiser series|date=26 June 2019}}
Radio stations
{{Main|Tindle Radio}}
In the 1970s, Sir Ray Tindle was an early investor in Capital.{{cite web |title=History |url=http://tindlenews.co.uk/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718150611/tindlenews.co.uk/history |archive-date=2019-07-18 |website=Tindle Newspapers Ltd. |language=en}} In 1998, he sold back his shares in the company to buy Island FM in Guernsey, the first local station to form part of the Tindle group.
The company continued to grow and acquire a dozen stations in England and Wales. Tindle sold its UK radio assets to Anglian Radio in a management buyout in 2013. The stations were then sold on to Celador and later Bauer.{{cite web |title=Celador Radio takes control of Anglian Radio |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2017/01/celador-radio-takes-control-of-anglian-radio/ |website=RadioToday |date=19 January 2017}}
Tindle continues to own and operate Island FM, as well as Channel 103 in Jersey, Midlands 103 in Ireland, and Soleil Radio which broadcasts across the Channel Islands.{{cite web |title=Our Brands |url=https://www.tindleradio.com/ |website=Tindle Radio}}
Criticism
In 2003, as the Iraq War started, the owner of the Tindle Newspaper Group, Sir Ray Tindle, issued an order to his newspapers that they could no longer cover anti-war protests.[http://www.medialens.org/articles/the_articles/media/pc_too_late_for_debate.htm#_ftnref2 Full text of article in Totnes Times] This decision was controversial and was attacked as censorship by a number of commentators, including the National Union of Journalists General Secretary Jeremy Dear.[http://www.medialens.org/articles/the_articles/media/pc_too_late_for_debate.htm Too Late For Debate?]
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://tindlenews.co.uk/ Official website]
{{Tindle}}
Category:Newspaper companies of the United Kingdom
Category:Companies based in Surrey
Category:1950 establishments in England
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