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September 20, 2016

Dundee Courier marks 200 years in print with book, exhibition and 48-page supplement

By Freddy Mayhew

The Courier in Dundee celebrates its 200th anniversary today.

The DC Thomson newspaper was launched on this date in 1816 and has been printed in its Scottish home city ever since.

The title celebrated the milestone with a 48-page supplement on its history.

It details how the title began life on a hand-powered printing press capable of producing 25 copies of an eight-page paper per hour.

The paper was priced at 7d, of which 4d comprised the newspaper tax. This made newspapers an unaffordable luxury for most, and meant copies were widely shared.

dundee_weekly_courier

It is an expansion of the eight-page history supplement that appeared in the paper when it marked its 100th birthday, a digital version of which has been reproduced in full online.

A book detailing the history of the Courier has also been published to mark its bicentenary and an exhibition will open this weekend bringing together artefacts from its two centuries of publishing (running until 5 November at the AK Bell Library in Perth).

Editor Richard Neville said: “What has remained constant throughout the last 200 years is the papers role as a seeker of information and news from its communities, and it is they who have shaped the content of The Courier.

“As a team we are immensely proud to be able to produce a special supplement today to mark the bicentenary and the paper is in good health to continue forward for the next 200 years.”

This year The Courier was named Daily/Sunday Newspaper of the Year (above 20,000 circulation) at the Regional Press Awards, where it also won recognition for its campaign on Frank’s Law.

Since being established, the paper has expanded to include multiple regional editions covering Angus and The Mearns, Perth and Kinross, and Fife.

The Courier has a total print circulation of 41,243 copies, according to the latest ABC figures, with a cover price of 85p.

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