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The return of the King
Johncom Media has revived the King William's Town Mercury, a weekly community newspaper, in order to serve the Bhisho-King region of the Eastern Cape. The paper, which was founded in 1875, was closed in 2001 for financial reasons by the then owners, Dispatch Media.
The King Mercury will be published by Johncom Community Newspapers (JCN), which operates a chain of papers throughout the Eastern Cape, including another historic paper, the Representative in Queenstown, and Go&Express in East London, Talk of the Town in Port Alfred, and Our Times in Jeffreys Bay.
The newspaper will be edited by Graham Lizamore, an experienced journalist who has worked on The Star and Daily Dispatch, as well as on community papers. The re-launch team includes consulting editors Justice Malala, a former Sunday Times political correspondent and editor of This Day, and Sowetan design expert John Tsatsi.
JCN publisher Ric Wilson explains that the provincial government has given a massive economic boost to the Bhisho-King area by pledging to spend R100-million on infrastructure. Also, a new Pick 'n Pay is scheduled to open in King William's Town in a few months.
"The Bhisho-King hub is economically, politically and socially important to the region. It is a vibrant community that deserves its own newspaper. The Mercury will focus on local news and events and we are confident it will once again become a household favourite," says Wilson.
"Our community papers now cover all the main centres in the province, giving Johncom advertisers total penetration of the Eastern Cape.
The Mercury is available every Friday in the Bhisho-King area, and in surrounding towns.
