Pink Paper suspends print edition and goes online-only
Current economic downturn forces publisher to focus on its web product
– 1 min read
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Pink Paper, the politically focused gay newspaper, will suspend its print edition and go online-only, as a result of the economic downturn.
In an article on its website PinkPaper.com , editor Tris Reid-Smith said the title will continue as a website and a weekly e-newsletter, but this week's print version will be its last for the time being.
"The publishers hope to start printing the newspaper again when the economy recovers and the advertising market improves," he wrote.
"As a free newspaper, Pink Paper relies almost entirely on advertising income. This time last year it was a very successful business but since then organisations have slashed their spend on print advertising, meaning the paper has been unable to cover its costs."
According to the report, the paper was particularly affected by a drop in recruitment and property advertising revenues.
All existing staff at the title will be kept on, working on PinkPaper.com and publisher MPG's other titles, Kim Watson, media director of MPG, confirmed in the article.
Reid-Smith will become editor-in-chief of sister magazine title Gay Times, while continuing to work for PinkPaper.com he told Journalism.co.uk.
The decision creates an opportunity to develop to highly differentiated products in PinkPaper.com and Gay Times, particularly in terms of content, he added.
The title is also keen to maintain its network of freelance and sports writers, which provide local gay news coverage.
"The decision to suspend fortnightly print and distribution of Pink Paper has been one of the toughest we have had to make in a long time but in order to ensure that we can continue providing a service to the LGBT community in future we have taken the decision now, rather than when the situation has worsened to a point that we would need to cease Pink Paper all together," said Watson.
Written by
Laura Oliver is a freelance journalist, a contributor to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, co-founder of The Society of Freelance Journalists and the former editor of Journalism.co.uk (prior to it becoming JournalismUK)
