Market to The Sunday Times in 2000, whilst Dilrukshi the award for the Best Environment Report of A Sunday newspaper may seem like any other Handunnetti won an award for Young Reporter the Year. broadsheet on any day of the week because it of the Year. The Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the covers similar topics, but it fills a different set of Iqbal Athas was amongst the achievers again Year in 2002 was awarded to Kumudini needs. Classified advertising, for instance, in 2001 – he won the B. A. Siriwardene award Hettiarachchi, whilst the Photograph of the Year produces better results on a Sunday when for Columnist of the Year, whilst the Best was taken by Daminda Harsha Perera. And the readers spend more time reading their papers. Designed Newspaper of the Year was The newspaper was once again the Best Designed Likewise more analytical articles, horoscopes, Sunday Times once again.Young Reporter of the Newspaper of the Year in 2002. crosswords, fashion and music columns, and an Year was won by Shelani Perera that year and In 2003, the Mervyn de Silva award for exciting children’s section have enabled The the D. R. Wijewardene award for Earning the Journalist of the Year was won by Kumudini Sunday Times to carve a niche for itself in a Appreciation of Peers and The Public was won Hettiarachchi, whilst Rajpal Abeynayake and The first section in the early days carried activities have included fashion shows and growing market in Sri Lanka. by Neville de Silva. Dilrukshi Handunnetti took Chris Kamalendran won the B. A. Siriwardene local, foreign, business and sports news, analyses seminars – the latter targeting both the state The Sunday Times, designed to meet the needs Columnist of the Year and Best Journalist of the and commentaries.The PLUS section consisted and private sectors. of a largely urban, English-speaking readership, Year (English language) awards respectively. of feature articles and columns by well-known The Sunday Times is also the official enjoys an estimated 40% share of the English- The award for Best Sports Journalist of the journalists, while the Mirror Magazine – with its newspaper of CIMA and ACCA annual awards. language Sunday readership. Its readers are both Year in 2004 went to Marlon Fernandopulle, and focus on entertainment – catered to the youth. The Country Road show has been sponsored children and those over eighteen years, from the Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the From the outset, the newspaper was by the newspaper for over a decade now. In double-income families and, by and large, Year award was shared by Priyanwada Ranawaka committed to upholding the principles of 2006, it was the official newspaper of the first represent the business community.They are and Renu Warnasuriya. freedom of information and the people’s right ever Chillies Advertising Awards. modern, educated and have families; they have And at the Developing Asia Journalism to know. Maintaining its independent stance Banners, pennants and 30-second video sophisticated lifestyles, and the majority reside in Awards 2006, presented by the Asian despite pressure from different quarters was clippings form an integral part of its major towns and cities.They subscribe to the Development Bank Institute, Dilshath Banu tough, especially in the dark days of two parallel promotional tools. On Sunday, it engages in TV newspaper for employment opportunities, Noordeen was first runner-up in the insurgencies and countless curfews. and radio campaigns for its Hit Ad classified political and defence commentaries, economic development agencies and development As its circulation climbed, a new pull-out section.The newspaper undertakes CRM reviews, sports coverage, entertainment, and category. business section was added in August 1992, activities such as fund-raising for the Wijeya arts and cultural features. followed by a TV magazine in 1994.This was Tsunami Fund, which provides medicine for The Sri Lankan market demands a circulation History followed by the Funday Times in 2000, tsunami survivors and scholarships for tsunami- of around 125,000 Sunday newspapers, which The newspaper was launched at a time of MediScene health magazine, ST-1, the monthly affected children. It has also provided a library accounts for some 750,000 readers.The Sunday turbulence in Sri Lanka, with its very sovereignty Kandy Times – and in 2006, The Sunday Times for the tsunami-affected school, Ahangama Observer, The Sunday Island,The Sunday Leader and territorial integrity threatened by a brutal international. Rohana Maha Vidyalaya. and most recently, The Nation and The Weekend insurgency in the north and east.There was also Standard are new entrants aiming to compete a nascent militancy raising its ugly head in the Product Brand Values with The Sunday Times for this readership on south. On June 7th 1987, The Sunday Times was What gives The Sunday Times an edge over its The Sunday Times – which has gained a Sundays. resurrected by Wijeya Newspapers – nine years competitors is not just its news value, analyses reputation for bringing news and information after its demise at the hands of the then defunct and layout, but also its willingness to change rapidly, accurately and responsibly – has become Achievements Times of Ceylon. with the times while maintaining strong a colourful, vital and indispensable ingredient in The Sunday Times pull-out business sections was It was a time when the fortunes of the print principles of journalism. Its reputation is one of the lives of the reading public of Sri Lanka. It has a first by a Sri Lankan newspaper as was its media were at a low ebb, with only the state- credibility and as a wholesome independent something of interest for just about everyone. children’s pull-out The Funday Times. It was the run Associated Newspapers of Ceylon (ANCL) family newspaper. The newspaper is also highly regarded for its second newspaper in the country to launch an and two independent groups – Upali The Sunday Times has the following sections print quality and layouts. internet edition in 1996. And its hi-tech digital Newspapers and Independent Newspapers – which cater to the entire family. technology is so advanced that it is in a position and one Tamil-language media house in News section: twenty pages of local news, www.sundaytimes.lk to present news as news – adding a last-minute operation. investigative reports, interviews, an editorial, a story from anywhere in the world, minutes Wijeya Newspapers Ltd, whose proprietor political and defence column, comments, points THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT before the broadsheet goes into print. owned the Lake House Group until the state of view and sports including world sports news. And the leading Sunday newspaper in Sri nationalised it in 1974, started business in 1980 PLUS section: sixteen pages that include THE SUNDAY TIMES Lanka has, perhaps, won more awards than any with two Sinhala leisure weeklies. In 1986, it features, letters to the editor, appreciations, a Recent Developments other in recent years. launched the Irida Lankadeepa as a Sinhala people’s forum, travel, art, book reviews, The Hit Ad classified section – printed in tabloid The city edition of The Sunday Times goes into In 1994, it won the International Press weekly, after acquiring the titles of several cartoons, a crossword, fashion, people and format and introduced recently – has been a print at 2 a.m. on Sunday and is on the Freedom Award from the Committee to newspapers of the Times of Ceylon.The launch events. huge success. Other recent value additions to streets by 6 a.m. Protect Journalists (CPJ).The award was of an English-language Sunday newspaper took The Sunday Times international: eight pages of the leading Sunday newspaper include the The newspaper is printed in two separate presented to the Consultant Editor and veteran place a year later, in 1987. international news, features, fashion, art, book MediScene health magazine, ST-1 motor presses – one in Colombo and the other in defence journalist Iqbal Athas, in recognition of When the first issue of The Sunday Times hit reviews, a reader’s corner and sports. magazine and the Kandy Times – an exclusive Biyagama. his commitment to the protection of press the stands, it made quite a splash. Its news Financial Times: special reports on financial monthly section for readers in the Central freedom in Sri Lanka. Athas was also the first stories, analyses, commentaries and feature matters, news, comments, features and analyses. Province. Its senior journalists are not only very well Editors’ Guild Journalist of the Year in 1998. articles dominated conversations in political TV Times: a magazine with a weekly TV guide, In addition, The Sunday Times recently known locally – they are internationally The next year, The Sunday Times produced the circles and social gatherings – and so word-of- entertainment news, features on the local music introduced an international section, which has recognised not only in journalism but also in following winners: Gemunu Wellage mouth publicity helped swell its readership. arena, travel tips and leisure. become very popular among locals as well as fields varying from conflict resolution and (Photographer of the Year), Dilshika Jayamaha Equipped with offset printing technology, the Hit Ad classified: a tabloid with classified and expatriates in next to no time. politics to peace studies and sociology. (Best Photograph of the Year), M. A. Pushpa newspaper competed with the then market photo-classified sections featuring property, Kumara and Sajeewa Chinthaka (for reporting leaders; and within a short time span, it was the vehicles, automobile accessories and services, Promotion The Wijeya Group is the business successor under special circumstances), and Kumudini largest-selling independent English-language computers, phone accessories, a garage sale, The newspaper’s first publicity campaign at to the former Times of Ceylon, which was Hettiarachchi (Human Interest Reporting).