A Brief History of The Times
The Times is part of Times Newspapers Limited; a subsidiary of News International, which is owned by the News Corporation group under world media baron, Rupert Murdoch. The newspaper is printed from Monday to Saturday in compact (tabloid) format and as of December 2008, it has an average daily circulation of 600,962 copies. The paper has traditionally maintained a moderately centre-right stance, but it supported the Labour Party under Tony Blair through the 2001 and 2005 general elections.
The Times was founded by John Walter as ‘The Daily Universal Register’ on 1st January 1785. In his opening editorial, Walter declared:
“A newspaper ought to be the register of the times and faithful recorder of every species of intelligence; it ought not to be engrossed by any particular object; but like a well covered table, it should contain something suited to every palate: observations on the dispositions of our own and of foreign courts should be provided for the political reader; debates should be reported for the amusement or information of those who may be particularly fond of them; and a due attention should be paid to the interests of trade, which are so greatly promoted by advertisements.”
On 1st January 1788, John Walter changed the name of the newspaper to The Times; a title recognised worldwide today as a newspaper of record.
The Times remained in the Walter family for four generations. In 1908, the newspaper was bought by Alfred Harmsworth - later Lord Northcliffe - who owned the Daily Mail. When Lord Northcliffe died in 1922, the paper was purchased by John Jacob Astor, son of William Waldorf Astor (1st Viscount Astor) of The Observer newspaper. The Astor family sold The Times to the Canadian media entrepreneur Roy Thomson (1st Baron Thomson of Fleet) in 1966. Thompson merged The Times with The Sunday Times to form Times Newspaper Limited; Rupert Murdoch’s News International purchased the company in 1981.
The Times Library Edition was introduced on 2nd July 1917. This special edition of the newspaper was printed on quality paper for libraries and royal palaces. It was renamed the Times Royal Edition in 1922 and continued to be printed until 31st December 1969.
On 3rd May 1966, The Times began printing news stories on the front page of the paper. The front page had previously been dedicated to advertisements and paid announcements, which had contributed significantly towards the cost of producing the newspaper.
The Times was closed down from 1st December 1978 to 12th November 1979, due to an industrial dispute between the Thompson Corporation and the print unions. No Times newspapers were printed during this period. In 1981 Ray Thompson sold Times Newspaper Limited to Rupert Murdoch’s News International.