San Diego business newspaper to close after nearly 130 years

The Daily Transcript in San Diego, which began publishing in 1886, announced Wednesday that its last edition will be on Sept. 1.

An AP story states, “The newspaper is no longer viable due to rising costs for health care and other expenses and an uncertain future for the industry, Publisher Robert Loomis wrote in a note to readers.

“The privately held Daily Transcript began publishing in 1886 and provided extensive coverage of local businesses, legal affairs and government. It gave a start to many journalists who went on to work at other San Diego publications, including The San Diego Union-Tribune, the city’s dominant newspaper, and Voice of San Diego, an online publication.

“The newspaper’s subscription-based website, www.sddt.com , will continue to operate for a short time. Loomis didn’t give a firm date for the site to shut down but said the company will cease operations on Sept. 21.

“‘While many cost savings measures have been initiated in the past, including the enthusiastic embrace of rapidly changing technology, producing the daily news, data and information for which the company is known requires a relatively large number of employees with related support systems,’ Loomis said.”