Latest Guides

Business News

Three Pasadena-Area Newspapers Shut Down

Glendale, Burbank, La Cañada Weekly Newspapers Folding

Published on Friday, April 17, 2020 | 7:10 am
 

The Glendale News-Press, Burbank Leader and La Cañada Valley Sun will cease publishing this month, a victim of the unexpected effects of the coronavirus outbreak, their parent company announced Thursday.

The final editions of the News-Press and Leader will be published Saturday and the Valley Sun on April 23, according to Chris Argentieri, the president and chief operating officer of California Times, the parent company of the three newspapers, as well the Los Angeles Times.

“A challenging business environment, including a decline in advertising revenue and the increasing cost of printing, has made it difficult to continue to support these publications,” Argentieri and Los Angeles Times executive editor Norman Pearlstine wrote in a letter sent to employees Thursday evening.

“While the business environment has been challenging for some time, it has become extremely so due to the unexpected effects of COVID-19, which have led to the closure.”

The 14 staff members who worked for the weekly publications will be leaving the company, Argentieri and Pearlstine wrote.

Congressman Adam Schiff expressed sadness over the closures in a statement early Friday.

“I have read these papers for decades and had the privilege of working with many of their reporters and editors. And while I’m sure I took issue with some of their articles from time to time – as it should be – I never once doubted their skill and professionalism, or their passion for serving our community,” Schiff said.

Schiff also said he was concerned about the implications of the closures.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I am deeply worried that the loss of these three papers is being repeated all over the country in communities large and small,” Schiff said. “It has been going on for years, but the sudden onset of the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated these trends, and more and more places are becoming news desserts, without dedicated journalists to investigate corruption and tell local stories. This is a tremendous loss, and a threat to democracy.”

The Burbank Leader and Glendale News-Press began publishing in 1905, La Cañada Valley Sun in 1946.

The Times purchased the News-Press and Leader in 1993 and the Valley Sun in 2005. The papers became part of The Times Community News division. They were distributed for free at local businesses, in newspaper racks and to The Times home-delivery subscribers in those areas.

The publications received awards from the California Newspapers Publishers Association, the Los Angeles Press Club and other organizations.

Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.

Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.

Make a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

 

 

buy ivermectin online
buy modafinil online
buy clomid online
buy ivermectin online