WSJ Sunday editor says goodbye to readers

Wall Street Journal Sunday editor David Crook wrote the following in its last issue, scheduled for Sunday:

This is the 805th—and last—issue of The Wall Street Journal Sunday.

It’s with the deepest sadness that I write that. I conceived of WSJ Sunday in 1998. With the help of hundreds of colleagues at The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Co. and our partner newspapers around the country, we launched on Sept. 12, 1999. Hundreds, if not thousands, of dedicated people have sustained it over the years.

We’re going out with our heads high. We were born the largest personal-finance publication in the U.S., and we still are. We premiered in 10 partner papers reaching 4.5 million subscribers. We peaked in 2005 at 84 newspapers in nearly 11 million homes. Today’s edition runs in 67 papers going to 6.2 million households. But even today’s rather large number masks a sobering reality: Each of those partners reaches fewer people than it used to, and advertisers are abandoning broad, middle-market media.

Our unique business arrangement with our partners—shared revenues and shared expenses—has kept us going over the years. But now, though we exit still in the black, it’s no longer enough. In our first issue, we promised “the most timely and helpful news and commentary anywhere about managing your money.” I hope we’ve delivered.

Read more here.