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Online Journalism News

US local newspaper shuts after 126 years and re-emerges web only

Posted: 03/01/08 By: Oliver Luft
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The Post newspapers, which served the US city of Cincinnati and areas of Northern Kentucky for 126 years, published final print editions on New Year's Eve as they converted to an entirely online operation.

Replacement KYPost.com launched on New Year's Day. The new site will share content with Cincinnati TV station WCPO-TV and its website, which are similarly owned by Scripps newspaper group.

The final Post print run carried a front page that read '-30-,' the symbol used at the paper to signal the end of a dispatch.

According to the Associated Press, the newspapers had 50 remaining staff, most of who will lose their jobs.

(Reaction to the job losses in the editor's blog)

Scripps said, in a statement, the new site was a standalone, ad-supported product for which the emphasis would be breaking local news, traffic advice, sports scores and schedules, weather and obituaries.

Post reporter Kerry Duke will act as the managing editor for KYPost.com. The site will also use a fulltime reporter and take contributions from freelancers, citizens and content from the TV station.

"At this stage, KYPost.com is very much a work in progress, so we'll be looking to the people using the site to help us determine what's most relevant to them," Duke said.

"It's our intention to honour the tradition of The Kentucky Post by building a vibrant online media service that captures the essence of what it means to live in Northern Kentucky.

"We'll be leveraging the power of the internet to build online communities of people with like interests and concerns, as well as establishing ourselves as the most dependable source for Northern Kentucky news and information."

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Comments

This is quite a bold move. Then again, if the quality of many local British papers is anything to go on, with syndicated news filling up the space between the ads, I can't see what they've got to lose. They're obviously risking losing a sizeable chunk of their readers (what percentage of OAPs will continue to read online) but perhaps that will be offset by a massive reduction in printing costs. I am curious to see how the "paper" develops. Will it still be going in 3 years?

jon buscall, ceo, jontus media hb - 03/01/08

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