Tucson Citizen closes after 138 years
Posted by Emily Dilling on March 16, 2009 at 6:28 AM
Arizona's oldest newspaper, The Tucson Citizen, will shut down Saturday after 138 years in the business, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
Gannett Co. Inc., which has owned the paper since 1976, has been looking to sell off certain assets of the paper since January. Robert J. Dickey, president of Gannett's U.S. Community Publishing, said the loss-making paper was a drain on Gannett's operations.
Gannett Co. Inc., which has owned the paper since 1976, has been looking to sell off certain assets of the paper since January. Robert J. Dickey, president of Gannett's U.S. Community Publishing, said the loss-making paper was a drain on Gannett's operations.
The closure follows that of the Rocky Mountain News in February, and
draws attention to the threat to survival facing newspapers, especially
those that are printed in two-newspaper towns.
The Citizen had fought to compete against the Arizona Daily Star, which boasts a circulation of 117,000 compared to the Citizen's 17,000, the AP reported in an article posted by Editor & Publisher.
"It's a loss because what we do makes the Star better, the Star makes us better, and because of that, the community gets better information," Jennifer Bolce, the editor of the Citizen, told the AP.
More than 60 newsroom employees will lose their jobs following the closure Saturday. The final printing of the paper will take the form of a 24 page commemorative edition, and 20,000 copies will be printed and will available for a few days afterward.
The Citizen had fought to compete against the Arizona Daily Star, which boasts a circulation of 117,000 compared to the Citizen's 17,000, the AP reported in an article posted by Editor & Publisher.
"It's a loss because what we do makes the Star better, the Star makes us better, and because of that, the community gets better information," Jennifer Bolce, the editor of the Citizen, told the AP.
More than 60 newsroom employees will lose their jobs following the closure Saturday. The final printing of the paper will take the form of a 24 page commemorative edition, and 20,000 copies will be printed and will available for a few days afterward.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Tucson Citizen closes after 138 years.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.editorsweblog.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/17019
Leave a comment