Four Michigan dailies reduce publication

Posted by Simon Day on March 26, 2009 at 5:20 AM

Four Michigan markets are set to lose daily editions of their newspapers, with only three days a week seeing print versions in Flint, Saginaw and Bay City, and twice weekly in Ann Arbor, according to The New York Times. Advance Publications is closing the 174-year-old Ann Arbor News in late July. It will be replaced Web-based news operation, AnnArbor.com and a two day a week printing company.

All 272 employees at The Ann Arbor News will lose their jobs and be asked to reapply at the two new establishments. The new staff size is undecided, but "there will be by far fewer positions," said Laurel Champion, publisher of The Ann Arbor News.

The changes at The Flint Journal, The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times are less extensive. Daily publication is to be reduced to only Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, where executives said 80 percent of advertising revenue stems. The newspapers plan cut 35 percent of their staff, The New York Times reported in an article posted by Ocala.com

These moves represent a growing trend among small papers as they attempt to cut costs while retaining late week and weekend readers and advertising revenue. Michigan is one of the hardest hit areas by the economic crisis due to its reliance on the massively affected automotive industry. The moves of its newspapers reflect the state's economic suffering.

On Monday, The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News will reduce home delivery by four days a week.