Northern News Services
A Canadian northern news publisher serving communities across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Northern News Services, also known as NNSL Media, is a Canadian news and media company headquartered in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Its publishing activity is focused on northern Canadian communities, particularly the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Kivalliq region. The company operates as a regional newspaper publisher rather than as a national mass-media group, producing community-focused reporting for readers living in geographically dispersed northern settlements. NNSL has been notable for maintaining an independent editorial and publishing operation in a Canadian newspaper market increasingly dominated by large chains and consolidated ownership groups. Its publications have traditionally emphasized original reporting about territorial politics, local government, Indigenous and northern affairs, community life, business, public services, and events. The company’s editorial model has been described as relying heavily on its own reporting, with comparatively little dependence on syndicated material. This gives its newspapers a distinct local and regional role, especially in communities where alternative news sources may be limited. The company’s newspaper portfolio has included Kivalliq News, Yellowknifer, News/North, Northwest Territories News/North, Nunavut News/North, and the Inuvik Drum. Yellowknifer has been published in separate Wednesday and Friday editions, while the News/North titles have served broader territorial audiences. Through this network, NNSL has combined community newspapers with territory-wide or region-wide coverage, allowing it to address both local readership and larger northern public-affairs topics. NNSL’s portfolio has changed over time in response to the difficult economics facing weekly newspapers. In March 2017, the company ended publication of the Deh Cho Drum after 23 years. In January 2025, it closed the Inuvik Drum, a newspaper first published on January 6, 1966, which NNSL had owned since 1988. These closures illustrate the pressure on print publications serving small and remote markets, where distribution costs, limited advertising bases, population scale, and changing reader habits can make continued publication difficult. In March 2021, Black Press, a Canadian publisher with newspapers in Canada and the United States, acquired NNSL. The transaction followed a reported sales process lasting more than a year. The acquisition moved Northern News Services from independent ownership into the Black Press media group while preserving its identity as a northern-focused publishing operation. NNSL therefore represents both a regional newspaper brand with a long publishing history and a specialized operating unit within a larger Canadian newspaper company.
History
Northern News Services is a northern Canadian newspaper publisher based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The company developed a portfolio of publications serving communities and regional audiences across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Its newspapers have operated in a challenging environment characterized by long distances, small and dispersed populations, high distribution costs, and limited local advertising markets. The company’s publishing approach has centered on original northern reporting. Rather than functioning primarily as a reprint or syndicated-content operation, NNSL has been associated with locally produced journalism covering territorial politics, municipal affairs, Indigenous communities, public services, business, and everyday community life. This editorial focus has helped its newspapers serve as local institutions in areas where residents may have few other sources of regular community news. NNSL’s portfolio has included Yellowknifer, Kivalliq News, News/North, Northwest Territories News/North, and Nunavut News/North. Yellowknifer has appeared in Wednesday and Friday editions, while the News/North publications have provided broader territorial coverage. The company has also operated newspapers with more specific community identities, including the Deh Cho Drum and the Inuvik Drum. Portfolio contraction became an important part of the company’s later history. In March 2017, NNSL ceased publishing the Deh Cho Drum after 23 years. The decision formed part of a broader pattern affecting local newspapers across Canada, as print advertising weakened and operating costs remained difficult to absorb in small markets. In January 2025, NNSL also closed the Inuvik Drum. That title had a much longer historical lineage, having first appeared on January 6, 1966, and had been part of NNSL’s holdings since 1988. In March 2021, Black Press acquired Northern News Services. Black Press was described as a Canadian publishing company with more than 170 newspapers in Canada and the United States. The acquisition followed a sales process that reportedly lasted over a year. It placed NNSL within a larger newspaper group while leaving the company’s core identity tied to northern Canadian journalism. NNSL’s history consequently reflects two parallel developments: the continuing importance of locally reported newspapers in northern communities and the financial and structural pressures confronting regional print media. Its surviving titles remain associated with territorial and community reporting, while the closures of individual publications show how the company’s operating footprint has evolved over time.
- 2025
Inuvik Drum publication ends
[1]NNSL shuttered the Inuvik Drum in January 2025 after the title had published for nearly six decades.
- 2021
Acquisition by Black Press
[1]Black Press acquired Northern News Services in March 2021 following a reported sale process lasting more than a year.
- 2017
Deh Cho Drum publication ends
[1]NNSL ceased publishing the Deh Cho Drum in March 2017 after 23 years of publication.
- 1988
NNSL takes ownership of the Inuvik Drum
[1]Northern News Services acquired ownership of the Inuvik Drum, which remained in the company’s portfolio until its closure in 2025.
- 1966
The Inuvik Drum begins publication
[1]The Inuvik Drum was first published on January 6, 1966, establishing a long-running newspaper presence in Inuvik.
Products and positioning
Independent-minded, original-reporting-focused northern community journalism serving the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and nearby northern regions.
Community newspaper
Yellowknifer
Yellowknifer is a community newspaper associated with Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories. NNSL has published Wednesday and Friday editions, giving the title a relatively frequent local-news presence within the company’s northern portfolio. Its role is to provide community reporting and public-affairs coverage for Yellowknife-area readers.
Regional newspaper
Kivalliq News
Kivalliq News is a regional newspaper serving the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. It forms part of NNSL’s geographically specialized publishing network, providing news coverage for communities in a sparsely populated northern area where local reporting and regional communication have particular importance.
Regional news publication
News/North
News/North is one of NNSL’s broader northern news publications. It is associated with territorial and regional reporting rather than a single small community, and sits alongside the company’s more locally focused newspaper titles. The publication contributes to NNSL’s coverage of public affairs and community developments across northern Canada.
Territorial newspaper
Northwest Territories News/North
Northwest Territories News/North is a NNSL publication focused on news from the Northwest Territories. It complements community-level newspapers by presenting reporting for a wider territorial readership, helping connect northern communities through shared coverage of government, politics, services, and regional issues.
Territorial newspaper
Nunavut News/North
Nunavut News/North is NNSL’s publication serving Nunavut and its communities. The title represents the company’s broader territorial news operation in Nunavut and provides a platform for reporting on northern public life, community affairs, and issues affecting residents across the territory.
Community newspaper
Deh Cho Drum
The Deh Cho Drum was a community newspaper published by NNSL for 23 years. It was discontinued in March 2017, making it a former title in the company’s historical portfolio.
Community newspaper · 1966
Inuvik Drum
The Inuvik Drum was a long-running community newspaper first published on January 6, 1966. NNSL owned the title from 1988 until the company closed it in January 2025. Its history reflects the importance of local newspapers in northern communities and the pressures facing small-market print publishing.
Brand decisions
2025
Close the Inuvik DrumStrategyBackground
The Inuvik Drum had published since 1966 and had been owned by NNSL since 1988.
Action taken
NNSL shuttered the newspaper in January 2025.
Aftermath
The closure ended one of the company’s longest-running community newspaper titles.
2021
Sell Northern News Services to Black PressM&ABackground
NNSL had reportedly been offered for sale for more than a year before the transaction.
Action taken
Black Press acquired Northern News Services in March 2021.
Aftermath
NNSL became part of the broader Black Press newspaper group while continuing as a northern-focused publishing operation.
2017
Discontinue the Deh Cho DrumStrategyBackground
The Deh Cho Drum had been published for 23 years, but NNSL ended the weekly title in March 2017.
Action taken
NNSL ceased publication of the newspaper and removed it from its active portfolio.
Aftermath
The closure reduced the company’s community-newspaper footprint in the Deh Cho region.
Sources1 sources
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