Currently published six days a week, the Times will switch to publishing two editions a week, which is expected to grow its circulation from the current 17,072 to 80,000, the paper said in a news release. The paper's new Wednesday edition will focus on news and opinion, while Thursday's edition will be inserted into Madison's morning daily, the Wisconsin State Journal, and be dedicated to arts, entertainment and culture.

The Times will make the switch following its final daily publication on April 25, according to The Business Journal.

Going from a daily afternoon paper to a bi-weekly will also change how the newsroom is made up, resulting in a smaller staff in the newsroom and other offices. The number of positions to be cut has not been finalised, but a voluntary separation programme for employees will be put in place, The Business Journal reported.

“The Capital Times has been a progressive media voice in Madison for 90 years, and this move allows us to preserve that legacy and, in fact, reach far more people than ever before,” Publisher Clayton Frink told The Business Journal.

Lee Enterprises Inc., based in Davenport, Iowa, and The Capital Times Co. each own 50 percent of Capital Newspapers.