The Citizen, a weekly newspaper covering the news of Fayette County, announced Wednesday that it will no longer distribute the free printed version of its publication.
In a letter to readers, Publisher and Editor Cal Beverly said advertising, which in the past paid for printing, distribution and other newspaper costs, has so overwhelmingly switched from newspapers to Google, Facebook and other online entities that it has made it impossible to continue publishing a print edition. This week's printed paper would be its last.
Beverly did not mention if the move would have an impact on staff.
“Overhead, printing and distribution costs are very high to produce a newspaper every week,” Beverly wrote. “It was beginning to cost more to print and distribute a print newspaper than the ads were bringing in. It switched from a profitable business model to a break-even struggle to a losing process over the past decade.
“You can cut costs only so far before you don’t have enough people left to produce a viable project,” he said.
Newspapers across the country have struggled to survive since once robust advertising from want ads and retail giants such as Macy's switched from print products to websites to reach customers. That has resulted in massive layoffs in newsrooms, thinning newspaper pages and in some cases the end of printed products.
The Citizen, which launched 26 years ago, distributed 25,000 copies of the newspaper every week throughout Fayette County.
Beverly said the newspaper would continue to cover news on its website and that The Citizen plans to soon launch a newsletter for readers.
“It has been my privilege to serve this community for a quarter century,” Beverly wrote. “I hope you will visit me and our staff online as we continue on TheCitizen.com what we began in The Citizen.”
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