Star Weekly | The Canadian Encyclopedia

article

Star Weekly

The Toronto Star Weekly began publication in April 1910 in Toronto. Founded by Joseph E. Atkinson, the Toronto Star Weekly was an attempt to create a Sunday newspaper. The Toronto Star Weekly changed its name to the Star Weekly in 1938. The newspaper ceased publication in 1973.

Creation

Joseph E. Atkinson

The Toronto Star Weekly was founded on 9 April 1910 by Joseph E. Atkinson, the publisher of the Toronto Star. The Toronto Star Weekly was an attempt to create a Canadian counterpart to the popular British type of Sunday newspapers. Initially, the Weekly consisted of articles by the daily paper's reporters, advertisements and inexpensive pieces purchased from syndicates (see Advertising). Before long, however, the Weekly had comic strips, illustrations and cartoons. By 1920, the Weekly was lavishly using colour.

Contributors

Eventually, writers were recruited for freelance work or put on staff. Writers included Morley Callaghan, Ernest Hemingway and Gregory Clark. (See also Journalism.) Artists found in the pages of the Toronto Star Weekly included Arthur Lismer, Frederick Horsman Varley, Charles William Jefferys, and in the cartoons, Jimmy Frise's "Birdseye Centre." (See also Cartoons and Comic Strips.)

Legacy

The Toronto Star Weekly gained a national audience. In 1938, the "Toronto" identification was dropped from the masthead and the newspaper was known as the Star Weekly. In 1968, the Star Weekly was purchased and merged with Canadian Magazine. Like the Montreal Standard, the Star Weekly fell victim to television and the Canadian Magazine's weekend supplements, and it ceased publication in 1973.

Further Reading