New Canaan Advertiser

New Canaan Advertiser Your leader in New Canaan news, sports, business and community coverage since 1908. As an advertising medium there will be no better in the town. It always has.

Since 1908, the New Canaan Advertiser has been serving the residents and businesses of New Canaan, Conn., as a weekly forum for news, opinions and advertisements. In 2005, we launched NCAdvertiser.com, the first news and information site focusing entirely on New Canaan.

“We issue today the first number of The Advertiser, at present a small paper, which will be printed every Saturday morning and d

elivered to the homes of its readers,” read a note from founder and publisher John E. Hersam in the Saturday, July 25, 1908, edition. “The Advertiser will contain as much of the news in brief and items of interest so far as our limits will allow as may seem suitable for our modest plan. We mean to progress and not remain in the same old rut year in and year out and hope our readers will take to it kindly while yet in its infancy. In due time it is our intention to enlarge The Advertiser.”

With those words more than a centruy ago, John E. Hersam began a legacy those who publish the Advertiser strive to continue today. There have been changes: The paper is delivered Thursday, and no longer is type set by hand. It has a daily — often hourly — feel at NCAdvertiser.com, which updates regularly as news happens in and around New Canaan. But the mission remains the same. Put out a newspaper —and website — that contains news and items of interest, and an advertising medium bettered by none. The Advertiser has progressed, and worked to not get caught in the same rut year in and year out. There have been new looks, new voices and new approaches. Keeping with John E. Hersam’s motto, “Grow or Go,” and that first-day’s pledge to enlarge the Advertiser, the newspaper has expanded from single sheet to broad sheet, embraced new technology, including New Canaan’s first news and information website, and using social media such as Twitter and Facebook to quickly deliver the news to those who want — wherever they are. The business responsible for the New Canaan Advertiser has blossomed from a one-town, one-newspaper venture, first to Darien, then merging with the five-newspaper Acorn Press, and then, in 2007, acquiring another 11 newspapers, five shoppers and two printing plants. Yet through it all, the focus of the Advertiser has remained on the place of its birth — New Canaan. And so it shall remain. Great pride is taken in doing journalistic duty, while at the same time being involved in other aspects of community life. Community is what makes the Advertiser. It was born because a segment of the community was neglected. It grew as an inclusive publication. It matured as more issues developed, and more agencies and organizations sought to reach the public through its pages. It grows stronger as it serves as a hub of New Canaan, the spokes that reach the outer circle holding it steady, as it remains centered and keeps them on track. Much as a hub and a wheel are interdependent, so too are the newspaper and its community. If the community is no longer well-rounded, or worse, separated from its hub, it will wobble off track. If the hub loses center, the wheel around it will collapse. The Hersam family has been a constant, steering the Advertiser through good times and bad, and into new eras as publishing evolves. Each such change has allowed for the inclusion of more information, later news and more attractive presentation. The staff has remained more constant than at many media outlets, learning about the community, becoming part of it, often being embraced by it. It is up to journalists current and future to tend to the Advertiser, to do the sometimes unseen work that keeps it strong and focused on its task and its hometown. It’s often said around the newsroom that the newspaper belongs to its readers. It always will.

New Canaan approved higher fees for Steve Benko Pool, Kiwanis Park and Waveny/Mead courts, but added new veteran discoun...
12/08/2025

New Canaan approved higher fees for Steve Benko Pool, Kiwanis Park and Waveny/Mead courts, but added new veteran discounts.

Though the attic was where the fire started, the cause has not yet been determined.
12/06/2025

Though the attic was where the fire started, the cause has not yet been determined.

The affected products were sold at Wegmans stores in Connecticut and other states between Nov. 3 and Dec. 1., according ...
12/06/2025

The affected products were sold at Wegmans stores in Connecticut and other states between Nov. 3 and Dec. 1., according to an FDA announcement.

A state marshal described her approach to a couple being evicted, which she said enabled her to get the man's wife and d...
12/06/2025

A state marshal described her approach to a couple being evicted, which she said enabled her to get the man's wife and dog to safety before the deadly standoff ensued.

The outages began around 7:30 a.m., the power company said, and had dwindled to fewer than 20 by later in the morning.
12/05/2025

The outages began around 7:30 a.m., the power company said, and had dwindled to fewer than 20 by later in the morning.

The woman was a well-known presence at The Playhouse movie theater in New Canaan, friends said.
12/04/2025

The woman was a well-known presence at The Playhouse movie theater in New Canaan, friends said.

New Canaan's Andrew Esposito scored four consecutive rushing touchdowns in the win over Darien.
12/04/2025

New Canaan's Andrew Esposito scored four consecutive rushing touchdowns in the win over Darien.

"It's bittersweet.... The Stamford Marriott Hotel almost feels like a second home to me," the founder said.
12/03/2025

"It's bittersweet.... The Stamford Marriott Hotel almost feels like a second home to me," the founder said.

Lashanda Gregory was sent to a Delaware prison as she was seeking the right to sue Connecticut on claims she was sexuall...
12/03/2025

Lashanda Gregory was sent to a Delaware prison as she was seeking the right to sue Connecticut on claims she was sexually assaulted by guards.

A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly collecting nearly $100,000 in disability payments Connecticut paid to he...
12/03/2025

A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly collecting nearly $100,000 in disability payments Connecticut paid to her former roommate’s bank account for years after her death, officials said.

Lou Marinelli has coached New Canaan football since 1981 and has an overall record of 415-114-7.
12/02/2025

Lou Marinelli has coached New Canaan football since 1981 and has an overall record of 415-114-7.

Richard Gere, who is known for his roles in "Pretty Woman" and "Chicago," purchased the home in 2022. Prior to Gere, fol...
12/02/2025

Richard Gere, who is known for his roles in "Pretty Woman" and "Chicago," purchased the home in 2022. Prior to Gere, folk musicians Paul Simon and Edie Brickell owned the house for nearly 20 years.

Richard Gere, who is known for his roles in "Pretty Woman" and "Chicago," purchased the home in 2022. Prior to Gere, folk musicians Paul Simon and Edie Brickell owned the house for nearly 20...

Address

Norwalk, CT

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when New Canaan Advertiser posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to New Canaan Advertiser:

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Our Story

Since 1908, the New Canaan Advertiser has been serving the residents and businesses of New Canaan, Conn., as a weekly forum for news, opinions and advertisements. In 2005, we launched NCAdvertiser.com, the first news and information site focusing entirely on New Canaan. The New Canaan Advertiser is part of Hearst Connecticut Media Group. The largest local news operation in the state with more than 200 journalists, Hearst Connecticut Media Group is comprised of eight daily newspapers including the New Haven Register, Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, Stamford Advocate and The Norwalk Hour, and 16 weekly newspapers including the Darien Times, Fairfield Citizen, Milford Mirror, The Greater New Milford Spectrum and Westport News. The Group manages 21 websites, including sites for all of its papers, as well as TowerDigitalAgency.com, CTHouseHunter.com and InGearCT.com.