Former 'Irish Examiner' owner Ted Crosbie dies aged 91

Former 'Irish Examiner' owner Ted Crosbie dies aged 91

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The Taoiseach has led warm tributes to Ted Crosbie, the former owner of the Irish Examiner, who has passed away at the age of 91.

Born Thomas Edward Crosbie in 1931, Ted was the great-grandson of Thomas Crosbie, who took over what was then the Cork Examiner newspaper in 1872.

Paying tribute to his father, former Chairman of Landmark Media, Tom Crosbie, said Ted was keenly aware of the position of the Examiner in the community and its importance to that community.

“He was a great newsman and a great newspaper man — he got it. He knew the importance of professional journalism, the importance of independent journalism — independence with a small ‘i’.

“He grew up in the business. There were three generations before him and when we talk about dad’s legacy, he was continuing what was passed down from previous generations.” 

Pictured in 2013, Ted Crosbie. Picture: Denis Scannell
Pictured in 2013, Ted Crosbie. Picture: Denis Scannell

Away from the Examiner, Ted’s other great love was his family, said Tom.

“He had three great loves — his love of his family, his love of the paper and his love of his homeplace Cork.”

Educated at the Christian Brothers College (CBC), he spent his summer holidays at the paper's offices, learning the ins and outs of the business from the ground up.

After secondary school, Crosbie studied for a Bachelor of Science at University College Cork (UCC), graduating in 1952.

Thereafter, he joined the family firm — Thomas Crosbie Holdings — on a full-time basis. 

In his roles as technical director and chief executive, he helped introduce a raft of technological advances to the Examiner, and its sister paper the Echo, bringing both into the era of Offset printing in 1976, many years before other national papers followed suit.

Ted assumed the role of chief executive in the early 1980s, a position he remained in until 1993.

In 2013, the firm went into receivership. It was subsequently purchased by Landmark Media, a company backed by Tom Crosbie and his father Ted who were shareholders of Thomas Crosbie Holdings.

When the Irish Times acquired Landmark in 2018, Ted Crosbie's five-generation-long family association with the Examiner came to an end.

 Pictured in 2018, Ted Crosbie at home. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Pictured in 2018, Ted Crosbie at home. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Outside of work, Ted had numerous hobbies and interests. A keen sailor, he served as Admiral of the Royal Cork Yacht Club around the time of Cork 800 in the mid-1980s. For a time, he also held a position on the board of homelessness charity Threshold.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin hailed the impact Mr Crosbie had on Cork during his lifetime.

"I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ted Crosbie, a man whose life was woven into the very fabric of his home city of Cork for more than nine decades.

"Ted was one of the nicest people you could ever meet; witty, erudite and insightful. He was good company always.

"Ted had a beautiful writing style, and when he wrote a letter to you, you were left in no doubt how serious he was about the matter at hand.

"As chief executive of the newspaper group including the Irish Examiner and Evening Echo, Ted was a true pioneer of modern Irish media, with a keen scientific and business mind, and a passion for enriching the charitable, cultural and social life of his city and country.

"Ted’s rich legacy includes the first full colour national newspapers produced in Ireland, as well as innovations in print and digital technologies that were years ahead of his competitors.

"I know his love of newsprint and ink was matched by his love of sailing, and a long association with the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

"A true gentleman, Ted will be sorely missed in his native city and beyond My sympathies go to his children Tom, Liz, Andrew, Ed, and Sophie, and all his wider family and friends."

Tom Fitzpatrick, editor of the Irish Examiner, paid tribute to Mr Crosbie.

"Ted Crosbie leaves an enormous legacy to Irish media and to Cork through his investment in — and support for — journalism produced by our titles, including the Irish Examiner and The Echo.

Our staff and readers will remember Ted as a good man, a newspaper man to his core. He was an imposing and colourful newsroom presence who believed in the principles and integrity of journalism and supported them every day.

"We extend our sympathies to the Crosbie family and all who knew him."

Allan Prosser, editor from 2016 to 2019, worked with the Crosbies during the period of the transition of ownership of the group.

He said: “I always enjoyed my dealings with Ted, both as editor and in the 12 years before that. He had a deep understanding of the industry, its historical importance and in the modern challenges it faces. He loved to debate production efficiency and newspaper design and the news issues of the day.

“Ted always seemed slightly amused to be dealing with someone with an English accent and would tease me about that, but I found him unremittingly supportive, and very committed, to his communities, in all my dealings with him. His type of owner, with local roots, local visibility and local accountability, is a rarity these days but he was one of the very best.”

Former editor and director of the Irish Examiner Tim Cramer said Ted Crosbie was "not only the ultimate gentleman, he was also the ideal employer."

"For over 40 years, he was my boss, my colleague and my friend. And we never exchanged a cross word. He was supportive, especially to a raw, young editor, kind, sympathetic and, above all, non-interfering. As indeed were all the Crosbie family.

"Though his degree was in chemistry, technology was his thing, and he led the change over from hot metal to digital production with huge knowledge and vigour," Mr Cramer added.

"He was especially proud of the new Crabtree Crusader printing press of 1976, of which it was said in the press room, probably correctly, that he knew every nut and bolt personally."

His outside interests included model engineering and he produced some fine replicas of steam engines in his fully equipped home workshop. He also built some lovely model ships.

As an ex-editor, friend and fellow hobbyist, I am profoundly saddened by his passing. Even at the end of a long and very fruitful life. He would be horrified to be called “a merchant prince” but he was truly a prince among men.

Ted Crosbie starts production of the first run of the Cork Weekly Examiner to be printed using the web-offset system, at Academy Street, Cork 9/5/1976 
Ted Crosbie starts production of the first run of the Cork Weekly Examiner to be printed using the web-offset system, at Academy Street, Cork 9/5/1976 

Tim Vaughan, who spent 15 years as editor of the Irish Examiner during Mr Crosbie's tenure, also paid tribute.

"Ted was a newspaperman true and true — I really wouldn’t be surprised if there was ink in his veins," he said.

"As editor of the Examiner, I counted my blessings to have Ted as owner and chairman of the newspaper. He truly believed in the importance of editorial independence and whenever there was a particularly tricky situation you knew he had your back.

"He’d walk up to my desk, put his hand on my shoulder and quietly say, ‘Tim, you have my full support’. For an editor, it doesn’t get better than that.

"I was very fond of Ted and will always have great memories of him. He was a person of great humanity, warm, kind and engaging — and with a mischievous sense of humour. He was a true gent and a lovely man — he will be missed."

Even in his late 80s, Mr Crosbie could often be found walking the editorial floor of the newspaper, talking to reporters and news editors, sharing story ideas with a twinkling good humour and always supporting the freedom of the press

In 2018, Mr Crosbie was awarded a hall of fame prize at the Cork Person of the Year awards.

Presenting him with the prize, MC for the day Miriam O'Callaghan hailed him as a "relentless pioneer for innovation and a force for constructive change".

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