BANGOR, Maine — Hometown Newspapers LLC has ceased publication of three weekly newspapers in an effort to focus attention on online content, according to publisher Robert Pushard.
The Highlands Journal-Moosehead Times in the Greenville area, the Citizen Journal in the Bangor area, and the SV Weekly-Somerset Times in the Newport area published their final issues last week, said Pushard. All three were free weekly newspapers.
Hometown Newspapers took over subscriptions for the Moosehead Messenger, which stopped printing in February, and replaced them with the Highlands Journal-Moosehead Times.
Another weekly paper published by Hometown Newspapers, the Penobscot Valley Explorer in Lincoln, was launched on March 22 and will continue publication. Its corresponding website was launched the same day. The company also is keeping its North Country magazine.
Pushard said the economy is one reason for closing the three papers, but the company wanted to focus its attention on its new website.
“We’re melding more tightly with an online presence,” said Pushard. “We want to have a website with a newspaper rather than a newspaper with a website. Rather than try to run both models simultaneously in this kind of market, we’re changing the model of how we do business.”
The transition has eliminated only one job. Pushard said the company averages between seven and nine employees.
He said the Penobscot Valley Explorer has received an enthusiastic response.
“In the Lincoln area, we have tremendous support. We’re cooking with gas up there,” said Pushard.
Articles on the website and in the paper will be generated largely from people in the community.
“They’ll be written by folks in the community about things they’re interested in,” he said. “The future of micronews is community-based journalism.
“When we had all of our papers, we were covering about 35 high schools. It’s hard to do with few employees,” said Pushard. “Now readers can get the news they find interesting into the paper [by writing it themselves].”
Pushard said the Penobscot Valley Explorer will have a solid web presence as well as features on the iPad and Android devices.
“We figure it will be a month or so to get the kinks out with all our people working on it at the same time,” he said. “We’re trying to avoid the mistakes print guys typically make and what all web guys typically make [in moving to new computer systems].”
Although the three papers were eliminated, there’s still a chance they could make a return, according to Pushard.
“If a group of people really miss the papers, they just need to contact us,” he said. “We’ll look at what it takes to get it back.”
This movement away from print editions is nationwide and world wide, and its only the tip of the iceberg. Forrest products are a sinking ship. No park for me, glug glug.
I thought I’d never live without a newspaper at my elbow at mealtimes. But once I bought my Kindle and learned to prop it up at the table, I don’t miss my daily paper.
Printed newspapers and magazines are long over. Millinocket, which is a town that was literally created to produce newspaper is the home of an idle mill that just became a charcoal factory (remember when that junk was made in Taiwan?). The biggest industry in the Katahdin region is now job-retraining, unemployment counseling and check-cashing.
It could be call-centers if we could pull these jobs away from foreign lands. I for one, now say, US agent only, when I call for assistance and it does work.
Hundreds of people back to work in the east mil-more to come. Forget it Bangoron, you ain’t getting your park.
“The transition has eliminated only one job.” In a related story – hot dog push cart closes, 1 man loses job.
Maybe if the Citizens Journal hadn’t libeled anyone not in the teabag party, people would have read their tabloid. Karma.
The Citizen Journal was a right-wing publication with passionate Republican columnists and no pretense of objectivity. No loss.
It was the most informative paper around. I enjoy the BDN and the CJ. We should all be open to diverse views.
Just like this rag is a bastion for liberals. If I were the owners of the BDN I would be looking for a buyer ASAP The newspaper is going the way of the buggy whip and progressives.
If what you type were true, then how did your missive get posted?
Unless the news changes. For many years we have wondered who was who and you wouldof thought that our news would of informed us as well as any changes to the power that is. Example who sits on the board of directors at EMMC, Bangor saving bank, etc and their profile’s. Alex Grey is putting Bangor,Maine back on the map with his waterfront shows but who is he ? Several new businessess in downtown Bangor, never heard of them. Be nice to know about them also in Brewer and surrounding towns if and when there are any new additions. Because the phonebooks only come out once a year these folks could help getting their telephone number out
and letting folks know what is available in their community, this is news. Again profiles, would be interesting. Wright furniture recently opened up in Brewer , what about them and so many more.
Yes the news is changing very rapidly and the news people need to be more creative to keep our interest, flowing. On the local level we need to be informed of any changes and information like with Board of Directors and their profiles. We like to see who is in power and making decisions in all the companies around us. This is local News and of course I look everday on the current situtation in Iran , N.Korea and Syria. That should be frontpage unless there is a local major tragic event. Most people today do not care who was arrested for pot smoking or speeding only the more serious crimes. All our media needs to catch up as well as use investigative journalim as most of the metro areas do. Ever watch Channel 5 fox in NYC, they do it right so you are in the know plus they are assisting their communities out in righting wrongs to their local residents. I had heard that the schools now are pushing investigative jourmalim to keep the public’s interest and it certainly does. I hope we can catch on soon, too.
LOL. This from the guy who loves reading the BDN.
Anytime we lose a source of information at the community level, its a shame. Too bad your too partisan to realize that.
does NY Times, LA Times BDN, suffer the same hate because they are left wing?? No loss for those papers either I guess.
I’ll miss them.
I believe that the papers were charging a nominal fee in recent months, maybe 25 cents. I would take it when it was free and read it, but stopped when they started charging. Didn’t really miss it, as the Newport paper had been covering more of the Skow-Winslow area than the Newport area and that did not interest me.
Yes, the Citizen Journal was at heart a mouthpiece of the Tea Party. True, a few news articles were not completely political, and sports columns were fine. But the basic story line was extreme conservatism that apparently didn’t appeal to enough readers/advertisers to justify its continuation, at least not as a free publication. Maybe the Koch Bros. could use some of their billions to revive it.
And the BDN is the heart and mouth piece of whom???
Interesting. Lincoln has a 50 year old newspaper and a great local web site already. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Glad they are gone, just right wing propaganda. Call it Fox News in print, the local version.
Useless, unnecessary, junk reporting. Mostly advertising. They were a waste of beautiful trees and newsprint. Our forests are better off for their demise…..
Its free in Lincon but I still pay 60 cents to read the Lincoln News instead. Between the Lincoln News and http://www.lincolnmaine.us I get all my info. This big, awkward free paper is a waste
Greenville …… Once a thriving lumber town turned tourist community and retirement destination, is slowly withering into a ghost town-except for nine gorgeous days in late August.
Very sad.
Tough for many jobs to be loss when they do not pay people to do articles for them.
Never read any of them. Didn’t know they were around so will not miss them. Would like to see more
on local events and the make up of same around Bangor and it’s next door neighbors. Would enjoy reading the headlines from The Wall St. Journal, The Maine Wire and The Huffington Post daily in one newspaper. Hint, Hint.
That’s what The Maine Edge is for. :)
This guys got quite the track record: Closed The Katahdin Times, Closed Millers Department Store in Millinocket, Closed The Moosehead Messenger, and now theses three. Can you say Mitt Romney without making the cash?
You can imagine the complete shock being the lone person given the boot, especially considering the complete lack of prior notice. Not pleased about the decision.
That sucks—loved the SVWeekly
5. Maine> Overall grade: F (56%)> Public access to information: F> Legislative accountability: F> Political financing: D+> Ethics enforcement agencies: F
Maine received F grades in nine of the 14 measured categories, including legislative accountability, lobbying disclosure and public access to information. The State Integrity Investigation identifies the existence of possible conflicts of interest and corruption. According to the report, there is no law in place, for example, to force Democratic State Senator Jim Brannigan to disclose that the organization that he was a director of received $98 million in Maine government contracts. On February 1, Republican State Representative David Burns was arrested for violating campaign finance laws such as falsifying records and misusing funds.
Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/investing/2012/03/22/americas-most-corrupt-states/#ixzz1qzguwjFT
Now with the LATEST ON OUR FORMER GOV.KING AND HOW HE TOOK MILLIONS FROM THE STATE WITHOUT TELLING THE TRUTH, SEE THE MAINE WIRE……… FOLKS WE ARE IN SERIOUS DO-DO AND NEED HELP. WE THE PEOPLE NEED TO SELECT THE PEOPLE TO RUN AND WHO CARES WHAT THE COST MAYBE, IT SEEMS THEY ALL ARE STEALING NOW.