Baltimore Times
Type | Weekly newspaper |
---|---|
Owner(s) | Joy Bramble |
Founded | November 1986 |
Headquarters | 2513 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 |
Website | baltimoretimes-online |
TheBaltimore Timesis a free weekly newspaper founded in 1986 that covers theAfrican-American communityinBaltimore County, Maryland.The newspaper circulates to 32,000 people, and its tagline is "positive stories about positive people."[1]
History
[edit]TheBaltimore Timeswas founded in November 1986 by Joy and Peter Bramble in theirBaltimorehome.[2]The Brambles focused coverage on positive stories as a way to counteract negative press of the African American community.[3]In a 2019 interview withBlack Enterprisemagazine, Joy Bramble described what she recalls thinking when she decided to launch theBaltimore Times:
- "I was looking at the local news one evening listening to the catalog of murders, crime, and mayhem committed reportedly mostly by African Americans. I glanced at the front page of the daily paper on our coffee table with similar headlines. It struck me that the radio news pretty much had the same tune. I realized that if black folks were constantly reading, seeing and hearing that we are criminals it then becomes the self-fulfilling prophecy for young people and the society. I knew so many positive things that were happening in the black community and none of these things ever made the news. My husband and I right there and then decided to start a newspaper that would only publish the positive things happening in the black community: successful young people; working, happy families; churches making a difference; teachers producing students despite lack of resources."[4]
In 2017,The Westside Gazettereported that after more than thirty years, Joy Bramble said theBaltimore Times,and its companion, theAnnapolis Times,have continued to only publish positive stories about Black people.[5]In her 2019 interview withBlack Enterprisemagazine, Bramble described the ongoing development of theBaltimore Times,including online at the newspaper's website and through social media, stating "we are fast becoming a media company as we introduce video, a possible radio station, and podcasting to attract millennials as our new readers (online of course) of the coming generation."[4]
Community activities
[edit]The company expanded to offer community workshops and seminars to increase awareness of opportunities related to business, education, healthcare, and finance.[4]Eunice Moseley ofThe Washington Informerreported that it "was the first company to offer community events in Baltimore that provided free services with its Housing Expo (onsite pre-approvals), Health Expo (free health care screenings), Men’s Expo (free health care screenings) and Women’s Expo (free seminars)."[6]
Positive People Awards
[edit]The newspaper founded the Positive People Awards in 1992 to acknowledge leaders in Baltimore.[7]
Times Community Services
[edit]In 1998, the Times Community Services was formed as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to philanthropic efforts.[1]
Circulation
[edit]The newspaper was originally founded as a monthly publication, but it transitioned to a weekly newspaper one month after its first edition.[1]Due to the popularity ofThe Baltimore Times,the Brambles began publishing Black-focused newspapers dedicated to other areas of Maryland:The Annapolis Times,The Shore Times,The Prince George's County Times,andThe Baltimore County Times.[1]
The newspaper publishes each Friday.[8]In 2020, theBaltimore Timeswas estimated to have a circulation of 32,000.[8]
Recognition
[edit]In 2019, publisher Joy Bramble was honored in Baltimore with a wax figure placed in theNational Great Blacks In Wax Museum,and a proclamation from theMaryland HouseandSenatebefore the unveiling.[6][4]
See also
[edit]- Baltimore Afro-American
- Media in Baltimore
- List of newspapers in Maryland
- National Newspaper Publishers Association
References
[edit]- ^abcd"About Us | The Baltimore Times Online Newspaper | Positive stories about positive people".The Baltimore Times, Inc. Positive Stories.Retrieved2020-12-02.
- ^Brill, Phyllis (April 5, 1992)."Entrepreneurial Priest Rev. Peter Bramble takes his philosophy beyond the pulpit".The Baltimore Sun.Retrieved14 December2020.
- ^Gately, Gary (September 17, 1991)."New Annapolis Paper to Present 'Positive Stories' About Blacks".The Baltimore Sun.Retrieved14 December2020.
- ^abcdWebb, Nicole K. (February 5, 2019)."How One Black Woman Built A Media Empire In Baltimore From Her Kitchen Table".Black Enterprise.Retrieved15 December2020.
- ^Henry, Carma (March 30, 2017)."Black Women Publishers Drive the Black Press".The Westside Gazette.Retrieved14 December2020.
- ^abMoseley, Eunice (May 1, 2019)."Baltimore Times Publisher Joy Bramble Immortalized in Wax".The Washington Informer.Retrieved16 December2020.
- ^"Positive People Awards Hosted By Times Community Foundation".The Baltimore Times, Inc. Positive Stories.Retrieved2020-12-12.
- ^ab"Baltimore Times newspaper in Baltimore Maryland - MondoTimes".mondotimes.Retrieved2020-12-02.