| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | KM Group |
| Publisher | KM Group |
| Editor | Robert Barman |
| Founded | 1855 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | Ashford, Kent |
| Circulation | 18,664 (August 2009)[1] |
| Official website | [1] |
The Kentish Express is a weekly newspaper serving southern Kent. It is published in four editions - Ashford, Folkestone, Hythe and the Romney Marsh, and Tenterden. It is owned by the KM Group and is published on Thursdays.
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The Kentish Express was founded in 1855 as the Ashford and Alfred News. The first edition was published on July 14, 1855[2]. The paper was Kent’s first penny paper after the abolition of stamp duty on newspapers in 1854[3]. Three years later, the paper was renamed the Kentish Express & Ashford News[4].
The KM Group bought the Express in 1971[5]. It also purchased the Folkestone Express, which was renamed the Kentish Express (Folkestone) in 2008.
Along with the rest of the KM-owned papers, the Express was given a design overhaul in May 2005[6].
All four editions of the Kentish Express are based at the KM Group's Ashford offices, along with the studios for KMFM Ashford. The Folkestone and Hythe editions were based at the Folkestone offices until April 2009, when the offices were closed[7]. The papers, plus sister radio station KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country, were moved to Ashford.
The combined circulation of the four papers in the first half of 2009 was 18,664[1], a drop of 12.4% against the same period in 2008.
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