The newspaper, like most of those in the Canadian Sun chain, is known for short, snappy news stories aimed primarily at working-class readers.

Prior to its 1980 acquisition by Sun Media, the newspaper was published under the following titles: A signature feature of Sun-branded newspapers including the Calgary Sun is the "Sunshine Girl," a daily glamour photograph of a female model.

Originally situated on page 3 (similar to the British tabloids the Sun chain originally set out to emulate, which also featured glamour photos on their third page), in the 1990s the feature was relocated to the Sports section.

The new publication was rejected by readers and advertisers and was discontinued in May 2001 during a downsizing of Sun Media.

[citation needed] The Calgary Herald was produced on a daily basis until 2012, when it ceased printing a Sunday edition.