The Recorder’s parent organization, Manitoulin Publishing Company Limited, is taking this decision after several years of careful consideration and in order to continue to give all of Manitoulin Island a viable forum for news and opinion.
The Manitoulin West Recorder is, in fact, amalgamating with The Manitoulin Expositor and, beginning next week, The Recorder’s familiar flag will fly at the top of the new amalgamated paper’s Page 3, where the emphasis will continue to be on Western Manitoulin news while The Expositor’s flag will continue at the top of the front page. The Manitoulin Expositor’s front page will continue to reflect Island-wide topics of interest and concern.
The dedicated rural correspondents who record the comings and goings in their respective communities in the pages of the Recorder will continue to appear in the amalgamated publication.
Tom Sasvari, a 33-year veteran of the news business on Manitoulin, has spent his entire career at the Recorder, for the past 20 years as Western Manitoulin news editor.
Mr. Sasvari has accepted the role of editor-in-chief of what will now be Manitoulin Island’s only newspaper publication. His main office will continue to be at its present central location in downtown Gore Bay, across from the post office, and he will also have a desk at The Expositor Office in Little Current. Another long-time Manitoulin journalist, Michael Erskine, has been named and accepted the position of associate editor.
Alicia McCutcheon, who has been editor of The Manitoulin Expositor for the past eight years and also publisher of both Manitoulin newspapers since 2017, will now focus on the publisher’s role in the community.
Manitoulin Publishing Company Limited has been the proprietor of the Manitoulin West Recorder for just over 20 years and purchased it at a critical time in this important Western Manitoulin institution’s history, giving the paper financial stability.
“It was always our intent to operate the two papers as long as possible,” stressed Rick McCutcheon, retired publisher of The Expositor and Recorder. “We knew there would come a day when amalgamation would become a necessity and we have reached that moment.”
Publishing day will be Wednesdays with the first issue of the combined papers, under its new editorial guidance, to be next Wednesday, June 2.
Loyal Recorder subscribers will be combined on the subscription list of The Expositor and all households subscribing to both publications will have their subscription expiry dates moved ahead according to the total number of months remaining in both subscriptions. In addition, an extra month will be added to these dual subscribers’ combined expiry dates.
A letter explaining this process in more detail has been sent to all subscribers of the Manitoulin West Recorder.
Manitoulin Publishing Company Limited is predicting a bright and healthy future for the important business of reflecting Manitoulin Island back to itself and to the rest of the world and to keep on recording the permanent history of the unique place in which we live.
We thank the community for its continuing support.
Alicia McCutcheon, publisher
Tom Sasvari, editor-in-chief
