The Orcadian

The Orcadian is the oldest newspaper in Orkney, Scotland, first published in 1854. At first a monthly paper, it soon became a weekly. The newspaper is based in Kirkwall but printed in Glasgow for sale every Thursday.[1] It is part of the Orkney Media Group, formed out of a partnership with a competing newspaper, Orkney Today, in 2007.[2]

The Orcadian
TypeWeekly newspaper
FormatTabloid (since 2018)
Owner(s)Orkney Media Group (Anderson-Mackintosh family)
Founder(s)James Urquhart Anderson
EditorLeah Seator
Founded1854 (1854) (as A Literary and Commercial Advertiser for Orkney and Zetland)
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersKirkwall, Orkney, Scotland
Websitewww.orcadian.co.uk

History

The newspaper was first founded in 1854 as A Literary and Commercial Advertiser for Orkney and Zetland by James Urquhart Anderson, who established the first printing press on the island in the 1820s, and his son of the same name. The first issues were written by James, while his son printed the issues on hand set type. The Andersons were joined by Ayrshire journalist and editor W.H. Mackintosh when he married into the family in 1877, and since then, the newspaper has been owned by the Anderson-Mackintosh family.[1]

During the Second World War, The Orcadian published a special armed forces newspaper titled Orkney Blast. A competing newspaper founded in 1860, The Orkney Herald, closed down in the 1950s, leaving The Orcadian as the sole remaining newspaper on the island until the launch of Orkney Today in 2003.[1] Following the formation of the Orkney Media Group in 2007, Orkney Today was closed in 2010, citing financial issues and low circulation, making The Orcadian again the island's only newspaper.[3][4]

Tabloid format and modernisation

Until 2018, the newspaper was printed at Orkney Media's printing facilities in Kirkwall. Increasing maintenance costs and a need to modernise saw The Orcadian cease printing on Orkney to instead be printed at Newsquest's Glasgow printing facilities. This coincided with a relaunch of The Orcadian on 1 March 2018, with the newspaper redesigned and resized to tabloid format.[5][6]

The paper has been edited by Leah Seator since 2016.[7]

References
  1. Bailey, Patrick (1971). Orkney. Plymouth: David & Charles. pp. 162–165. ISBN 0-7153-5000-5.
  2. "Weekly titles in company merger". HoldTheFrontPage. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  3. "Five jobs at risk as Scottish weekly closes". HoldTheFrontPage. 22 September 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  4. Reynolds, John (22 September 2010). "Five jobs at risk as Scottish weekly closes". Campaign Live UK. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  5. Sharman, David (13 March 2018). "Weekly printed off patch for first time in history at plant 300 miles away". HoldTheFrontPage. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  6. "Orkney newspaper printed off the islands for first time in 164 years". The Herald. Glasgow. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  7. Bermingham, Darragh (27 September 2021). "Orkney editor: 'We had to be the best we've ever been and keep our newspaper going'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 August 2022.


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