“André brings a terrific background to his appointment,”
said Eric Morrison, president and CEO of The Canadian Press.
“He has worked in senior positions with many of CP’s
members and continues to be in touch with them through their
printing business with Transcontinental Inc. He is well
respected and liked within the media industry. He also knows
The Canadian Press well and during his previous time here
produced a number of innovative services. It will be a pleasure
to work with him to build new foundations for the continued
success of the cooperative.”
André Préfontaine has traced an impressive
career path through the Canadian information industry over
the past three decades. He got his start as a journalist
at Sherbrooke’s La Tribune newspaper. Next, he took
on the abovementioned positions at The Canadian Press, followed
by stints as associate publisher and editor of Le Droit,
operations manager at Kingston’s Whig-Standard, and
president and publisher of The Windsor Star. Before joining
Transcontinental in 1996, he was vice president of daily
newspapers at Quebecor.
Mr. Préfontaine also serves on a number of other
boards of directors, including those of the Canadian Newspaper
Association, where he is director, and of Nature Conservancy
Canada, Quebec Region. He has been on the board of The Canadian
Press for two years.
“In addition to being an honour for me personally,
my appointment to the top position of Canada’s largest
news service speaks to the importance of Transcontinental
Media as a major and growing national player on this country’s
print media landscape,” commented Préfontaine.
“Not only is it the leading consumer magazine publisher,
but it is also the only group with newsrooms in all 10 provinces,
with dailies in five. I look forward to fulfilling my expanded
duties at The Canadian Press with the same zeal as I apply
at Transcontinental.”
About Transcontinental Media
The fourth largest print media group in Canada, with close
to 3000 employees and annual revenues of more than $500
million, Transcontinental Media is the country’s leading
publisher of consumer magazines and its second-largest publisher
of community newspapers. It is also the only print media
group with newsrooms in all 10 Canadian provinces. Its titles
in French and English are among the most prestigious in
the industry, reaching more than 20 million readers from
coast to coast every month. Transcontinental Media is also
Canada's leading door-to-door distributor of advertising
material, most notably through Publi-Sac, which is distributed
to 2.8 million households in Quebec each week.
Transcontinental Media is a subsidiary of Transcontinental
Inc., a Canadian corporation whose shares are listed on
the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TCL.A.
About The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press is Canada's national multimedia news
agency and has been delivering news and information to Canadians
for more than eight decades. CP serves Canadian newspapers,
broadcasters, publishers, websites, wireless carriers, cable
companies, government and corporate clients.
CP provides real-time news from Canada and the world in
English and French, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CP
has bureaus across Canada with staff in St. John's, Nfld.,
Halifax, Fredericton, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto,
Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.
Staff correspondents in Washington and London head a global
network of journalists tracking Canadian and world events
abroad.
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For information:
Media
Jake Brennan
Public Relations Department
Transcontinental Inc.
Tel.: (514) 954-4000
jake.brennan@transcontinental.ca
