The Dominion Post will drop two daily print editions on Dec. 1 as it continues to beef up its online presence to adjust to readership changes and the pandemic economy.
Publisher David Raese said the move to a larger digital presence was always in the works but is being accelerated because of COVID-19.
“We’re a family-run business,” said Raese, adding the newspaper did not receive any stimulus money from the federal government.
Beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1, readers will no longer receive a Tuesday or Thursday print edition of The Dominion Post. Subscribers, however, will receive an enlarged Sunday newspaper with more locally produced features, as well as a Wednesday print edition, which has a number of food advertisements and coupons, and a Friday print edition. The newspaper’s Monday and Saturday print editions were discontinued in late March because of increased costs of news print, which came from Canada and was subject to tariffs. When the borders between the two countries closed, it made it much harder and cost prohibitive to get news print.
Raese said The Dominion Post is following the lead of other, larger daily newspapers such as the Tampa Bay Times, which has a print edition two days a week, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which prints editions Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
After the first of the year, readers should notice additional features in the larger Sunday edition, including more Outdoors, Food and Travel and possibly gaming and gardening stories. Plans are also being discussed for an obit page in each e-edition except Monday.
“People’s reading habits have changed,” Raese said. “There is less business locally and competition for advertising dollars is huge … Something had to give.”
Raese said there are no plans to raise the price of the daily newspapers, now 75 cents, or the $2 Sunday edition.
Adam Raese, assistant to the publisher, said between Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, and Cyber Monday, Nov. 30, digital subscriptions to The Dominion Post will be half off — $37.50 compared with the regular $75 a year regular rate.
Digital has been an expanding area of The Dominion Post and continues to grow steadily, said Adam Raese, adding that seven newsletters have enjoyed a steady growth as well. The newspaper also provides podcasts from reporters and contributors.
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