Two More Newspapers Suspend Operations

 

CARBONDALE, CO (December 29, 2008) – Two newspapers - one in Colorado, the other in Iowa - last week told readers that they are suspending publication in the face of a worsening economy.

The Valley Journal in Carbondale, CO, and The East Iowa Herald in Victor, IA, both said the economy, a steep increase in the decline of new advertising sales, and a "challenging outlook" for the future fueled their decisions to stop publishing.

The East Iowa Herald said their Web site, eMail addresses, and telephone number "will remain open for the indefinite future" and that subscriptions sold since November will be refunded.

In the same region as The East Iowa Herald, recent cutbacks at Gannett Co. led to the shut down of the Brooklyn (IA) Chronicle and the North English Record.

The East Iowa Herald's owner, Mitch Traphagen, told readers "In addition to sincerely thanking our readers and advertisers, I would also like to apologize to them for not finding a way around the hurdles we face. If there was any other viable option, we would have pursued it." The newspaper had been in circulation for less than a year.

Traphagen told reporter Henry Jackson at the Chicago Tribune, "I could really see it coming in October. We had a lot of political ads, but I could also see that we weren't getting an new ad calls for November ... it was like someone suddenly turned off the tap."

In Colorado, an editorial titled "A Fond Farewell ... For Now" told readers that publication of the weekly Valley Journal was being suspended "for the unforeseeable future" with the hopes of resuming publication "whenever the economy allows." Founded in 1974 the newspaper is owned by Swift Communications.

The Valley Journal's sister newspapers, The Glenwood Springs Independent and The Aspen Times, plan to expand their coverage to include Carbondale, readers were told, in the absence of the local paper.

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