The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News are looking to halt home delivery on most days, while also printing a slimmer newsstand version on those days, The New York Times reported Friday, citing "people briefed on the plans."

The papers, which operate under a joint operating agreement on their businesses sides called the Detroit Media Partnership (editorial departments are completely separate), will be the first large metro dailies in the United States to make such large cuts to delivery and newsstand print versions. Deliveries would only be done on the most profitable days of the week, likely Sunday, and either Thursday, Friday or both, according to The Times.

Leland K. Bassett, a public relations consultant for the partnership, told The Times that an "announcement of a new business model (will be) made on Tuesday." Other than telling The Times that "we do expect to print newspapers every single day," Bassett would not give further details.

Although cutting printing and delivery will save money, it also "accelerates the migration of readers to the Internet, where papers have found vastly expanded audiences and paltry revenue," according to The Times.

The adjustments will aim "to ensure two strong newspaper voices in the (Detroit) community," said Free Press CEO and Publisher David Hunke last week.

Gannett Co., Inc. owns The Free Press and has majority control in the partnership, while MediaNews Group owns The News.

Previously, The Christian Science Monitor and The Kentucky Post became some of the first major dailies in the United States to stop printing print editions completely.