Kelowna Daily Courier owner says newspaper isn’t going anywhere, despite layoffs, sale sign on downtown office

KELOWNA – David Radler, majority owner of the Kelowna Daily Courier, says the future of the newspaper is secure, despite the for sale sign on its downtown headquarters and recent layoffs in the newsroom.

“It’s not at risk now and it’s not at risk 20 years from now,” Radler said in an interview from his Vancouver office.

The prime 1.65-acre site has been listed for sale with realtor NAI Commercial Okanagan for $12.7 million and is commercially zoned for a high-rise up to 12 storeys.

Radler characterized the listing and possible sale as “exploratory” with no guaranteed outcome.

He said Continental Newspapers, which owns the Daily Courier, has no need to sell but would consider it given the right offer.

Should a sale be concluded, Radler said the company has already considered options for relocating the newspaper's operations, although that isn’t a given either.

“Assuming we sold the building today, doesn’t mean we have to leave tomorrow,” Radler said, adding that a lease-back arrangement with a new owner is also a possibility.

He would not give details of a possible site for relocation.

Besides the Daily Courier, Continental Newspapers owns the Penticton Herald and the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal in Ontario.

Fueling speculation about the Daily Courier’s future was the layoffs earlier this month of two senior newsroom staff, leaving it with just seven union employees and a part-time managing editor.

Unifor local 2000 is grieving the layoffs of photographer Gary Nylander and copy editor Grant Jones on January 11. Shop steward Pat Bulmer said the union is beginning negotiations very soon and has been without a contract since 2016.

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