TORONTO – It has been ten years since the Corriere Canadese rose from the ashes of bankruptcy. It is fair and realistic to say that few people expected its second life to last ten weeks. Yet, ten years later, here we are: a talented, diligent, committed team of writers, researchers, administrators… and readers. In hard copy and digital format, including presence on social media, we exceed five million readers annually.
We plan to do better and to increase our reach because we owe it to our readership to be relevant, current and to report on and analyze those issues and events that reflect our community’s values as a diaspora. So far, the quality of our product has earned the respect of a fiercely loyal readership – to whom we are grateful.
As we are to those writers like Goffredo Palmerini, James Hansen, Michele Santulli and others who provide us with excellent material, refreshing and informative. Ours is, as they say in English, “a tough business”. Revenues are static or diminishing; advertisers prefer social media; governments are reluctant to accept the reality of a changing demographic. They spend their “information resources ($$$$)” on issues and platforms unsupported by Canadian residents they purport to serve.
In the last Census, 24% of respondents indicated they spoke a language other than English or French at home or at work. Italians comprise circa 4.5% of the Canadian population, 250,000 still claim to speak and read/write their mother tongue. The Corriere Canadese speaks not only to their values and interests as members of the diaspora but also to their loyalty as Canadians building a country for future generations.
As the publisher/president, at the risk of seeming boastful of the Corriere’s achievements, I draw attention to the fact that the newspaper is the only hardcopy daily newspaper in Italian in North America. It is the third oldest daily newspaper in The Greater Toronto Area.
For illustrative purposes of difficulties in the industry only, I draw attention to the Second-ranked (Toronto Star), at time of our relaunch. It claimed a weekday distribution of 500,000 and a market valuation of circa $1.8 billion – clearly “out of our league”. It sold, three years ago, reportedly for less than $58 million.
Led by Francesco Veronesi, our-full time team, comprising of Rita Ellul, Tony Lomuto, Marzio Pelù, Maria Policheni, Priscilla Pajdo and supported by yours truly, together with occasional free-lance writers, has emerged as a professional, reliable print medium as any other mainstream publication… and with far fewer resources. There have been other writers who moved on.
It would be shortsighted to ignore the invaluable support of the Editoria in Italy and the Department of Heritage in Canada (through the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada. We acknowledge their commitment to our language, culture and good journalism.
The Corriere Canadese, the masthead at least, has been in publication since 1954. When it suspended operations in 2013, few people were willing to “step up” to restart it. Donato Montesano, thought it was a jewel too precious to cast aside. He approached some friends, Sam Primucci, Tony Pascale and eventually me, to join in an endeavour to keep the name and the voice alive. He and they deserve recognition for “keeping the faith”.
Permit me to underline that this “network of creators and producers” meets every morning to filter the day’s events through a lens that will keep you informed, interested and pleased to say you are an integral part of the success that the rest of Canada sees the Corriere Canadese to be.
To you: Auguri!
