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The Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant is a newspaper for the province of Zeeland, Netherlands published and owned by DPG Media of Belgium. Founded in 1758, it is the third-oldest newspaper of the Netherlands.

History

19th century: Middelburgsche Courant

The paper is a merger of a number of regional papers, the oldest of which was the Middelburgsche Courant, founded in 1758 in Middelburg. One of its scoops was hiring the first female reporter in the Netherlands, in 1885.

20th century: Forming the Provinciale Zeeuwsche Courant

In 1933, the Middelburgsche Courant acquired a paper from Goes, the Goesche Courant. In 1939, it merged with the Vlissingsche Courant, founded 1869 in Vlissingen, and became the Provinciale Zeeuwsche Courant.

In 1946 another Goes newspaper, Vrije Stemmen: Dagblad voor Zeeland, merged into PZC. Vrije Stemmen started as an underground newspaper during WWII. In 1998 PZC acquired the Zierikzeesche Nieuwsbode, founded in 1844 by Pieter de Looze of Zierikzee.

21st century: Decreasing readership

In 2006 PZC's circulation was 58,000, down 3% from the year before, following a trend among Dutch regional newspapers. In 2007 and 2008 hovered around 52,000. Visitors to the paper's website brought the total readership up to 250,000 in 2008.

In 2008 PZC celebrated its 250th anniversary in the presence of Beatrix of the Netherlands, who received a copy of the commemorative book PZC 250 Jaar.

In 2010 Wegener was fined 20 million Euros by the Dutch competition regulator, the Nederlandse Mededingingsautoriteit. Wegener also owned BN/De Stem, a regional newspaper in west North Brabant that published a Zeeland edition. BN/De Stem had been acquired by Wegener in 2000 when it took over VNU, and it had been required to keep both papers editorially separate to continue to offer readers a choice between two independent newspapers. In 2009 complaints had come in that Wegener had combined operations as a cost-cutting measure, leading to the 2010 verdict.

In 2010, 48% of the paper's paid subscribers share the paper with their neighbors, the highest such number among Dutch newspapers. In 2012 circulation was down to 49,948 copies. In 2015 Wegener was sold to the De Persgroep of Belgium, now known as DPG Media.

References

1. "Alle regiokranten Wegener op tabloid". Zibb. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
2. "Regionale dagbladen Wegener op tabloid-formaat". Nieuws.nl. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
3. "Peter Jansen nieuwe hoofdredacteur PZC". Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant. 25 April 2006. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
4. Kutterink, Jeffrey (4 July 2007). "Oplage Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant stijgt sinds jaren weer". Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
5. ^ Vries, Guido de (27 May 2008). "Zeeuw leest de krant met de buren: De Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant bestaat 250 jaar, maar toekomst is onzeker". NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
6. "Contact". Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
7. "Schouwen-Duiveland krijgt weer eigen krant". De Gelderlander. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
8. Gruijl, Dylan de (4 October 2006). "Oplage regionale kranten blijft dalen". Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
9. "Abonneeverlies PZC beperkt, bereik groter". Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
10. "Koningin bij start viering 250-jarig bestaan Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant". Blikopnieuws.nl. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
11. "Koningin 30 mei 2008 bij viering 250-jarig bestaan Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant". Dutch Royal House. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
12. "Besluit NMA aangevochten". Trouw. 14 March 2000. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
13. "Dutch competition watchdog fines publisher". Bloomberg Businessweek. 14 July 2010. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2010.

• Dutch-language newspapers
• Daily newspapers published in the Netherlands
• Mass media in Zeeland
• Vlissingen