Facing the end of their joint operating agreement with Gannett Co. and The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Cincinnati Post and The Kentucky Post will stop publication on Dec. 31, 2007.

The decision comes three years after Gannett notified the E.W. Scripps Company, which owns the two newspapers, that the agreement would not be renewed when it expires at the end of this year. The agreement, which makes publication of The Post newspapers economically feasible, was signed in 1977.

Terms of the agreement stated Gannett and the Enquirer are responsible for all business operations at the two newspapers, including subscription and advertising sales, production and distribution. Scripps and Gannett have shared the combined profits from The Enquirer and The Post newspapers.

“After careful analysis and weighing several alternatives for the future of The Cincinnati Post and The Kentucky Post, it's apparent to us that it would not be feasible to continue publishing the newspapers after the end of the joint operating agreement,” Rich Boehne, chief operating officer for Scripps and a former Post staff member, was quoted in the statement as saying. “The investment that would be needed to continue publishing a daily newspaper that could successfully compete in a marketplace with so many media alternatives would be prohibitive.”

Combined paid circulation at the two papers was at about 188,000 when the agreement was established, and has declined to about 27,000 Monday through Friday, and 37,000 Saturday as of March 2007.

Ending publication of The Post will affect 52 full- time newsroom employees. They will be offered severance packages, including outplacement services and three months of paid medical benefits. Scripps reduced the number of editorial employees at The Post from 84 in 2004 to minimize the number of employees affected if the newspaper's closing became necessary.