1717
Kentish Post was founded. The first newspaper
in Kent.
1758
Kentish Post renamed Kentish Gazette
1855
Ashford and Alfred News founded.
1858
Ashford and Alfred News was renamed Kentish
Express & Ashford News.
1859
Maidstone Telegraph was launched.
1861
Maidstone Telegraph renamed Kent
Messenger.
1865
East Kent Mercury founded
1884
Barham Pratt Boorman co-founded the Kent
Examiner & The Ashford Chronicle.
1890
Kent Messenger acquired by Barham Pratt
Boorman. The Ashford Chronicle is now part of Kent Messenger.
1928
Henry Roy Pratt Boorman succeeded as the
Editor on his father's death.
1959
Edwin R P Boorman began his career with the
company.
1962
Kent Life magazine launched.
1968
Evening Post was launched in the Medway
towns.
1971
Kentish Express joined the group.
1980
Kentish Gazette, Herne Bay Press and East Kent
Mercury joined the group.
1981
The first Extra was launched in Thanet.
1987
Sheeness Times Guardian and Faversham News
joined the group.
1992
Evening Post was re-named Kent Today.
1993
Kent Business was launched.
1995
Dartford & Swanley Informer joined the
Group.
1998
Gravesend Messenger, Dover Mercury, Adsmart
and Kent & Sussex Auto Weekly were launched.
1999
Sittingbourne edition of KM was launched,
Medway edition of Kent Today re-named Medway Today and TLR (Thanet
Local Radio) joined the group.
2000
Website KentOnline launched.
2001
CTFM (Canterbury radio) and Neptune (radio
station in Folkestone and Dover) joined the group. Medway edition
of the Kent Messenger launched in September to replace the Friday
issue of Medway Today.
2002
Mercury Medway (Medway radio) and Mercury 96.2
& 101.6 FM (Tonbridge Radio) joined the group and were renamed
KM-fm for Medway and KM-fm for West Kent respectively. CTFM was
renamed KM-fm for Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay.
2003
TLR was renamed KM-fm for Thanet, Neptune was
renamed KM-fm for Folkestone, Dover and Deal and Medway Messenger
(Monday) was launched 0n 7th April to supersede Medway Today.
2004
KM-fm for Folkestone, Dover and Deal was
renamed KM-fm for Shepway and White Cliffs Country and Bromley
Extra was launched on August 20th. KMd starts transmission on the
Kent DAB multiplex.
2005
Kent Messenger Group becomes the first
regional publisher to install a polybagging line. KM Radio rebrand
their existing stations, from KM-fm to kmfm, and aim for greater
coverage of the county by launching kmfm Ashford.
2006
Kent Messenger Group chairman Edwin Boorman
retires after leading the family company for 46 years. He became
company President. Chairmanship is handed to the fourth generation,
his daughter, Geraldine Allinson. President Edwin Boorman is
honoured by the Newspaper Society. The 10th person to receive the
President's Prize for exceptional service to the industry. KM Radio
acquire Maidstone’s CTR (County Town Radio) and the Kent Today
video news bulletin starts on KentOnline.
2007
Kent Messenger Group begin selling Digital
Newspapers. Weekly paid-for newspapers become available to readers
worldwide. CTR is rebranded as kmfm to become the seventh in Kent
Messenger Group's network of commercial analogue local radio
stations.
2008
Now an integrated multimedia company, Kent
Messenger Group revises its brand name to KM Group and refreshes
its logo. KM Digital launches nine local websites to complement
KentOnline and support local newspapers. A youth-music station
called kmfm Extra is launched exclusively on DAB digital radio. The
Extra series of free papers are made available as digital editions
online.
2009
Graham Mead joins KM Group as Managing
Director. The company is awarded the title of Environmental
Newspaper Company of the Year in The 2009 Newspaper Awards. The
Extra series of 8 freely circulated newspapers are relaunched. A
new local website is launched to serve Sittingbourne and
the KentJobs site is relaunched. Ian Carter joined KM Group as
Editorial Director in December.
2010
Focus, a magazine circulated free with the Kent Messenger
series, Kentish Express series and Kentish Gazette Group,
relaunched in February. Now published quarterly.
2011
Neil Webster joins KM Group as Sales Director in
January and Richard Elliot became Managing Director in
September. kmfm extra is relaunched as a commercial station with
unique content targeted at an audience of 15 to 24 year olds.
Sittingbourne News Extra (a new paid-for title) is
launched.