By 1808Delaware
When we posted our story on February 18 entitled “A New Look for Local Media,” we had no idea that the changes being made were more than just a new look for both 1808Delaware and the Delaware Gazette.
That other shoe dropped on Tuesday morning when the Gazette notified its readers of what it called “…some of the biggest changes in its 204-year-history.”
In a piece entitled “Gazette changing with the times,” the media outlet shared that it would be reducing its print publication to two days a week while focusing on what it states will be an expanded online presence. Effective February 28, the Gazette will appear in printed form on Wednesdays and Saturdays, it shared.
That post can be read here.
Similar changes are taking place on the same timeline with AIM-published papers in Troy, Wilmington, Hillsboro, Washington Court House, Bowling Green, and Greenville. Others are likely to follow. In northwest Ohio, three outlets — the The Northwest Signal, Fulton County Expositor, and Swanton Enterprise — are actually combining into one publication according to an AIM Media story.
The last several weeks have seen local changes in the media industry that mirror those taking place nationwide over the last several years. As costs rise for print, and as consolidations take place, the move to digital has been expedited. Recently, the Columbus Dispatch ended publication – both print and digital – for their popular “ThisWeek News” editions which covered individual, inner and outer suburban communities.
It’s really hard to know what’s next. AIM Media Midwest, which owns the Gazette and outlets in Galion and Mount Gilead/Morrow County, actually grew late last year with the acquisition of the Bryan Times and The Northwest Signal in Napoleon. Changes may also be in the air for the country’s largest newspaper chain, Gannett, which owns a remarkable number of news sites across Ohio in cities like Lancaster, Mansfield, Marion, Newark, and Bucyrus.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
