The Daily Dispatch is a South African newspaper published in East London in the province of Eastern Cape.

Daily Dispatch
Daily Dispatch front page of 20 February 1939
TypeDaily newspaper
Owner(s)Arena Holdings
PublisherArena Holdings
EditorCheri-Ann James
Founded1872
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersEast London
Websitewww.dispatchlive.co.za

The weekend edition is titled Daily Dispatch Weekend Edition.

Founded in 1872 as the East London Dispatch and Shipping and Mercantile Gazette, the Daily Dispatch is the Eastern Cape's best-selling daily with a circulation of about 26,147 copies[1] as of the first quarter in 2015. The online offering is known as DispatchLIVE.

The newspaper, published in English, is well known for its hard-hitting investigative reporting and also covers Eastern Cape news, sports, politics, business, jobs, and community events.

It has consistently been South Africa's best-performing daily newspaper, in terms of circulation growth, for the last several years.

The newspaper is internationally known for its editor from 1965 to 1977, Donald Woods. Woods became a friend of Steve Biko, leader of the Black Consciousness Movement, and provided support to Biko through his editorials. After Biko's death in police custody, Woods went into exile to expose the truth surrounding Biko's death in his book Biko.

During World War II the editor, and major shareholder, was Bernard Steer, father of noted journalist George Steer.

History

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The History of the Daily Dispatch by Glyn Williams

Distribution areas

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Distribution[2]
2008 2013
Eastern Cape Y Y
Free State
Gauteng
Kwa-Zulu Natal Y Y
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
North West
Northern Cape
Western Cape Y

Distribution figures

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Circulation[3]
Net Sales
Jan – Mar 2015 26 147[1]
Jan – Mar 2014 30 199[1]
Oct – Dec 2012 26 339
Jul – Sep 2012 26 390
Apr – Jun 2012 26 751
Jan – Mar 2012 30 304

Readership figures

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Estimated Readership[4][5]
AIR
12 Jan – 12 Dec 238 000
11 Jul – 12 Jun 237 000

Location

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The newspaper's physical address is:
35 Caxton Street, East London, South Africa, 5201[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "ABC Analysis Q1 2015: The biggest-circulating newspapers in South Africa •". MarkLives.com. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Daily Dispatch Website". Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  3. ^ Audit Bureau of Circulations (S.A)
  4. ^ SAARF AMPS (Previous Presentations)
  5. ^ SAARF AMPS (Industry Presentations)
  6. ^ "Dispatch Online (Contact)". Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
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