THUNDER BAY – Cora Cambly may be a small-town girl, but she’s got a big-city vision for the news of the Northwest.
It’s that keen insight the Manitouwadge, Ont.-born Cambly plans to bring to her new role as publisher of TBNewswatch, a website she’s helped grow from its infancy to its current status today, the single-largest news website in all of Northwestern Ontario, one the public increasingly counts on to be in the know about what’s happening both in Thunder Bay and throughout the region.
It’s a role that excites the long-time Dougall Media employee.
“I’ve been a part of the evolution of Tbnewswatch.com since the beginning and have learned and grown with it. I’m very proud of the team of professionals that I have worked with along the way and continue to work with moving forward,” Cambly said.
“I have personally seen how our community has turned to us over this last year. When the pandemic hit our traffic literally doubled over night. They needed a place to get information that is credible, trusted and highly regulated. That’s exactly what we gave them.”
Hector Dougall, president of Dougall media and owner of the website, said he chose Cambly for her vision and proven track record building TBNewswatch, from the ground up to being an industry trailblazer today.
“Cora's in depth relationship with our readers, customers, and internal staff make her the best candidate to foster the continued growth of TBNewswatch.com. We at Dougall Media, are very proud of her accomplishments and very much look forward to seeing what comes next,” Dougall said.
With growth come challenges and responsibilities, two things Cambly has met head on throughout her career.
Buoyed by a background in sales and a keen eye for marketing and promotions, two areas she excelled in over her more than two decades at Dougall Media, Cambly said it’s precisely that expertise that makes her the natural choice to take on her new role, which makes her one of the first female publishers in the region.
“I’ve loved working with our local business and creating partnerships with so many organizations and events in our city and it’s because of all of the those experiences that I’m ready to take the next step as publisher of TBNewswatch.
“I see how the news, both good and bad, has impacted our communities, particularly over the past year and we are striving to be part of the solution, a true partner with the businesses and organizations, and most importantly, the people, of the region.”
Cambly sees her role as one part promoter and one part champion of the public interest and plans to ensure her staff of reporters hold the powers that be to account, with a particular eye on both the court system and the political realm.
She also sees the importance of stories of community interest and is driven to ensure TBNewswatch improves the quality of life in the communities the website serves and working with local businesses to help strengthen the local economy, one hit hard by the effects of COVID-19.
“We want to work with the community on initiatives that move it forward and provide information that has a positive impact on it,” Cambly said. “Most importantly, we want to provide unbiased coverage of what goes on in the community to inform residents and to hold the public sector accountable for their decisions, actions and results.”
Cambly, a graduate of Confederation College, moved to Thunder Bay in 1997 and soon afterward started her Dougall Media career as an intern while a student in the business marketing program. She began in radio sales and over the years added print and television to her portfolio, before also being named director of marketing and promotions.
She’s effectively led the website from its infancy to its current role as the No. 1 news source in the entire Northwest in the past decade.
