Montreal Gazette to cut Monday print edition
Storied newspaper the Montreal Gazette announced Wednesday it will no longer produce a Monday print edition, citing "rapidly changing news consumption habits" of its readers.
The change will take effect on Oct. 17. An online version of the paper will continue to be published on Mondays, and subscription rates won't change.
"The decision reflects the rapidly changing news consumption habits of our readers, the needs of our advertisers and the escalating costs of printing and delivering a printed product," wrote Editorial Senior Vice-President Gerry Nott in a statement on the paper's website.
"News happens 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and our commitment to you is to deliver it quickly, honestly and thoroughly as reader consumption habits continue to shift," he wrote.
The Gazette is one of nine Postmedia papers scrapping their Monday prints.
The Vancouver Sun, The Province, Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, Ottawa Citizen, and the Ottawa Sun will also be affected.
Postmedia spokesperson Phyllise Gelfand told The Canadian Press there are no job cuts tied to the change, and that the company is focused on "going where (its) readers are."
"We will continue to evaluate the needs and preferences of our audiences and customers," she said. "That may include other initiatives though I have nothing specific to announce at this time."
Postmedia newspapers are displayed in Ottawa on January 8, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
THIRD QUARTER LOSSES IN PRINT, GAINS IN DIGITAL
The change comes after the company reported print losses in its third quarter, while digital revenue grew.
Postmedia bought Brunswick News Inc. on March 25 for $7.5 million plus 4.1 million variable voting shares, taking ownership of the company’s daily and weekly newspapers, digital properties and parcel delivery business.
After the acquisition, Postmedia reported a 3.1 per cent year-over-year increase in print advertising revenue in the three months prior to May 31. Excluding the financial impact of the deal, the company reported a loss of $1.6 million, or 4.3 per cent.
It also saw losses in print circulation revenue amounting to $2.5 million, or 5.9 per cent, year-over-year. Losses were deeper excluding the acquisition, at $4.5 million, or 10.4 per cent, "as a result of decreases in circulation volumes, partially offset by price increases," the company said.
Digital revenue increased, however, by $6.9 million, raking in $30.3 million for the company in the third quarter.
Apart from the Brunswick acquisition, the company attributed that growth to increases in digital marketing services and "off-network programmatic digital advertising."
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.