California-based publishing house McClatchy announced on Wednesday that it planned to eliminate Saturday print issues at all its daily newspapers by the end of 2020.
Currently, the newspaper chain has over 30 publications in 14 states.
With this move, subscribers to The Miami Herald, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Charlotte Observer and other papers will no longer receive Saturday print editions.
Craig Forman, chief executive announced the decision during a call with investors during a meeting on the company’s third-quarter earnings. He added that what he called “digital Saturdays” were already underway at four McClatchy papers: The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; The Bellingham Herald in Bellingham, Wash.; The Durham Herald Sun in Durham, N.C.; and The Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa.
“In those markets where implementation has occurred, we are seeing an accelerated conversion to our digital products,” Forman said. “We expect to expand digital Saturdays to all of our markets during the course of 2020 as we advance toward our digital future.”
McClatchy has been under pressure since not long after it acquired rival newspaper chain Knight-Ridder. This was prior to the recession and the rise of digital media, which combined to weaken the newspaper business.
The move to digital Saturdays, Forman said, may encourage digital subscriptions.
