The Tindle Group is a British multimedia company operating regional newspapers and radio stations across the
British Isles
The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
.
It publishes over 200 local newspapers in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, a number of which are over a hundred years old.
The company is based in
Farnham
Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, under CEO Danny Cammiade.
It is owned by the
Tindle family
The Tindle Group is a British multimedia company operating regional newspapers and radio stations across the British Isles.
It publishes over 200 local newspapers in the United Kingdom, a number of which are over a hundred years old.
The comp ...
. Founder Sir
Ray Tindle
Sir Raymond Stanley Tindle (8 October 1926 – 16 April 2022) was a British newspaper and radio entrepreneur. He founded the Tindle Group of regional newspapers and radio stations.
Early life
After leaving school he went on to enlist in the ...
was a "strong believer in 'ultra-local' journalism",
a culture which the company still follows today. He remained the company's president until his death in 2022. His son, Owen Tindle, took over as chairman in 2017.
Newspapers
The Tindle newspaper empire started out in the 1950s, when Sir Ray Tindle acquired the ''
Tooting & Balham Gazette'' with his £300
demob
Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...
payment after his time serving during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
At the company's peak, Tindle Newspapers owned and operated more than 220 local titles.
The following is a partial list of newspapers owned by the company:
*''
Abergavenny Chronicle
The ''Abergavenny Chronicle'' is a weekly local newspaper based in Abergavenny, Wales, United Kingdom. The paper is published weekly and its circulation covers the Abergavenny and the surrounding area, Crickhowell, Llantilio Pertholey, and Usk. ...
''
*''Admart''
*''Alton Post Gazette''
*''Biggin Hill News''
*''Bordon Messenger''
*''Bordon Post''
*''Brecon & Radnor Express''
*''
Cambrian News
The ''Cambrian News'' is a weekly newspaper distributed in Wales. It was founded in 1860 and is based in Cefn Llan Science Park, Aberystwyth. Cambrian News Ltd was bought by media entrepreneur Sir Ray Tindle in 1998.
History
The paper was f ...
''
*''
Chew Valley Gazette
The ''Chew Valley and Wrington Vale Gazette'' is a monthly local newspaper for the Chew Valley and surrounding areas of north Somerset, England.
It was previously published as the Chew Valley Digest. The first issue of the Digest was published i ...
''
*''
Cornish & Devon Post
The Cornish & Devon Post is a weekly newspaper, published in Launceston, Cornwall, England, which was launched in 1856. It was one of the last newspapers in the UK to carry advertisements, rather than news on the front page. It is owned by the ...
''
*''
Cornish Times
''The Cornish Times'' (founded 1857) is a weekly newspaper in Cornwall, South West England, owned by the Tindle Newspaper Group.
Headquartered at Webb's House in Liskeard, Cornwall, ''The Cornish Times'' displays as an emblem a Cornish chough ...
''
*''County Echo''
*''Crediton Courier''
*''Dawlish Gazette''
*''Edenbridge Chronicle''
*''Faringdon Newspapers''
*''Farnham Herald''
*''The Forester''
*''The Glamorgan Gem''
*''Godalming Messenger''
*''Haslemere Messenger''
*''
Isle of Man Newspapers
Isle of Man Newspapers publishes the Isle of Man
The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lor ...
''
*''Leigh Times''
*''Life Magazines''
*''Meon Valley News''
*''
Mid Devon Advertiser
The ''Mid Devon Advertiser'' is a local newspaper and media outlet based in Newton Abbot, Devon, and serving the surrounding area including Torbay, Ashburton, Moretonhampstead, Teignmouth, and Totnes, in an area referred to as Mid Devon since t ...
''
*''
Monmouthshire Beacon
The ''Monmouthshire Beacon'' is a weekly tabloid newspaper covering the areas of Monmouthshire, south Herefordshire and western Gloucestershire. It has been in continuous publication since 1837. Since 1980 the newspaper has been part of the ...
''
*''North Cornwall Advertiser''
*''Petersfield Messenger''
*''The Ross Gazette''
*''South Hams Gazette''
*''Surrey & Hants News''
*''
Tavistock Times
''Tavistock Times Gazette'' is a weekly newspaper which serves the Tavistock area in West Devon, England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Brit ...
''
*''
Tenby Observer
The ''Tenby Observer'' is a weekly English language newspaper, published each Friday, which circulates around Tenby, South Pembrokeshire, and amongst tourists generally. The ’paper started as a list of the town's influential and well-to-do visito ...
''
*''
Wellington Weekly News
The ''Wellington Weekly News'' is a weekly newspaper in Wellington, Somerset, England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it cov ...
''
*''West Somerset Free Press''
*''
Woking News and Mail
The ''Woking News and Mail'' is a weekly local paper, published in the Surrey village of Knaphill in Woking.
The newspaper is published every Thursday and principally covers Woking and the villages of Horsell, Chobham, Knaphill, Kingfield, Broo ...
''
In 2019, Tindle Newspaper Group closed four of their local newspapers.
Radio stations
In the 1970s, Sir Ray Tindle was an early investor in
Capital
Capital and its variations may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital
** List of national capitals
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter
Econom ...
. In 1998, he sold back his shares in the company to buy
Island FM
Island FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting across the Bailiwick of Guernsey on 104.7 FM and 93.7 FM in Alderney.
Launched in 1992, Island FM remains the sole commercial station in the island and continues to be extremely suc ...
in Guernsey, the first local station to form part of the Tindle group.
The company continued to grow and acquire a dozen stations in England and Wales. Tindle sold its UK radio assets to
Anglian Radio
Tindle Radio is a media company which owns commercial radio stations and a DAB multiplex business in the Channel Islands and Ireland. It has its head office in Farnham, Surrey, shared with Tindle Newspapers.
History
Sir Ray Tindle acquir ...
in a management buyout in 2013. The stations were then sold on to
Celador
CPL Productions (formerly Celador) is an independent television and radio production company run by Danielle Lux, Murray Boland and Janet Oakes. It was formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 as an independent television production company. It cr ...
and later
Bauer.
Tindle continues to own and operate Island FM, as well as
Channel 103
Channel 103 is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the island of Jersey on 103.7 FM and DAB+ digital radio.
The station launched on 25 October 1992. Channel 103 is part of Tindle Radio, which also owns Island FM in Guernsey an ...
in Jersey,
Midlands 103
Midlands 103 (previously known as Midlands Radio 3) is an Irish local independent radio station broadcasting to counties Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath.
The station's offices and main broadcast studios are in Tullamore, County Offaly. It also ...
in Ireland, and
Soleil Radio
Soleil Radio is a commercial radio station broadcasting to the Channel Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm on DAB+
Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) is a digital radio international standard, standard for broadcasting digi ...
which broadcasts across the Channel Islands.
Criticism
In 2003, as the
Iraq War
The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
started, the owner of the Tindle Newspaper Group, Sir Ray Tindle, issued an order to his newspapers that they could no longer cover anti-war protests. This decision was controversial and was attacked as censorship by a number of commentators, including the
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union supporting journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The NUJ was founded in 1907 and has 20,693 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Trades ...
General Secretary