- Tabloid Newspaper
- Printed on Newsprint Paper
- 39 600 Copies Distributed Weekly
- Frequency: Weekly Thursday
- Target Audience: Local Community
- Area of Distribution: Airfield, Alphen park, Benoni Central, Brentwoord Park, Crystal Park, Farramere, Goedeburg, Lakefield, Mackenzie Park, Morehill, New Modder, Northmead, Northmead Ext 4, Northvilla, Rynfield, Rynfield Ext, Rynsoord, Westdene, Western Ext.
Founded in 1921, the Benoni City Times has seen it all – the miners’ strike of 1922, the turbulent years of the Second World War, the adoption of apartheid as state policy, the Sharpeville Massacre, the 1976 youth revolt, the imprisonment and eventual release of Tata Madiba, South Africa’s first truly democratic elections, 9/11 – to name just a few epoch defining events. Through it all, the newspaper has reported interesting and relevant news items and earned a reputation for being accurate, reliable and highly credible.
Established by William Hills, a hard-working and dedicated journalist, the Benoni City Times became a family business that saw the newspaper passed down from father to son (William Haigh Hills) to grandson (William Edward Haigh Hills), only becoming a member of Caxton CTP’s large stable of titles in 1982. Growing from generation to generation, and even further under Caxton’s ownership, the newspaper is today a trusted and respected member of the community it serves, and is the go-to publication for local and community news, municipal and crime news, schools news, local sports results and fixtures, lifestyle features, entertainment news and more. Moreover, as a voice of the community, the paper boasts a vibrant letters section where engaged readers can comment on news items and enter into robust dialogue about current affairs.
Other papers within the Amalgamated Press that Caxton purchased along with the Benoni City Times included the Germiston City Times, the Boksburg Advertiser and the Brakpan Herald. Initially a sold broad-sheet newspaper, the Benoni City Times continues to deliver news to Benoni residents as a free tabloid with a sizeable distribution of 39 600 copies.
The publication’s various high quality advertising sheets also play an important role in the lives of Benoni’s consumers as they provide extremely useful information regarding the latest retail and service offerings in the locale. For advertisers, the Benoni City Times is an ideal marketing channel as it reaches an economically active market of household expenditure decision makers.
Some interesting facts about the Benoni City Time’s readers (2013):
- 63% of household decision makers work fulltime
- 37% of Benoni households fall within the LSM 10 group, and 35% fall within the LSM 9 group
- 29% of Benoni households earn between R25 000 and R49 000 monthly, and 28% earn R12 000 – R15 000 per month
- 36% of decision makers are aged 50+, 26% are between 35 and 49, and 24% are 25-34