Postmedia is closing another 24 newspapers by mid-January according to the company and three of them are here in Belleville.
24 of the 26 papers acquired by the company including the Belleville News, Central Hastings News and the Quinte West News are on the list.
There are 15 papers in Eastern Ontario getting the axe.
Postmedia CEO Paul Godfrey says that the move will allow the company to focus “strategic areas and core products … in a deeply disrupted industry.”
The list includes the following from Eastern Ontario:
Metro Ottawa
Belleville News
Central Hastings News
Frontenac Gazette
Kanata Kourier-Standard
Kingston Heritage
Nepean/Barrhaven News
Orléans News
Ottawa East News
Ottawa South News
Ottawa West News
Quinte West News
Stittsville News
St. Lawrence News
West Carleton Review
Godfrey said in a press release on Monday that “the continuing costs of producing dozens of small community newspapers in these regions in the face of significantly declining advertising revenues means that most of these operations no longer have viable business models.”
In addition, Torstar gets the following papers in the deal and plans to close most of them:
Barrie Examiner.
Bradford Times.
Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin.
Fort Erie Times.
Innisfil Examiner.
Inport News (Port Colborne).
Niagara Advance.
Niagara Falls Review.
Northumberland Today.
Orillia Packet and Times.
Pelham News.
Peterborough Examiner.
St. Catharines Standard.
Thorold Niagara News.
Welland Tribune.
Stratford City Gazette.
West Carleton Review.
Of those, the St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Falls Review, Welland Tribune and Peterborough Examiner will continue to operate.
Torstar says the closures will save the company $5 million and $7 million.
