Waltham News Tribune Cutting Back To Weekly Publication

The Waltham News Tribune, a long-established part of the community, announced today it would soon start publishing its print editions once per week, instead of twice weekly.

The paper, owned by New York-based Gatehouse Media, made the announcement on its Web site at 8 a.m.

Starting in August, the paper plans to start publishing one print edition per week every Friday. Currently, it publishes each Tuesday and Friday. The final Tuesday edition will be July 26.

“Our revamped Friday edition will include all of the Waltham content which has been appearing in both our editions – including news, sports, entertainment, police blotter, letters, commentary, obituaries, grocery coupons, real estate and, of course, Watch City Life,” the paper said on its Web site. “We see this in every way as an initiative to make for a more robust newspaper. We’re confident that our readers will enjoy our expanded Friday paper while our advertisers benefit from the longer shelf life of a single edition.”

The paper plans to cut its yearly subscription rate from $78 to $42, Tribune Publisher Greg Reibman said in an e-mail to Patch. Newsstand prices will jump to $1 from its current 75 cents.

 The paper plans to continue publishing stories on its Web site.

"If anything, we expect the site will be more robust, and more popular, going forward," Reibman said.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION.

Reibman elaborated on his company's decision.

"Our company produces a lot of well-respected, well-read and, frankly, very successful weekly newspapers - including the Newton TAB, The Wellesley Townsman, Needham Times and Watertown TAB. We believe this weekly format will be great for Waltham too," he said.

Reibman continued: "Readers love our weeklies because it brings together all the week's news and happenings into one edition. And our advertisers love our weeklies too because they know that many readers hold onto them for several days and look at every page."

Also, no staff changes are planned, according to Reibman.

PAST TROUBLES

The announcement represents another chapter in major changes for the Tribune over the past several years. A little over a year ago, the paper stopped publishing five days per week daily and began its twice weekly run, according to Media Nation, a blog written by media observer Dan Kennedy.

The move comes as Gatehouse Media continues to operate under financial strain. First quarter revenue was  $11.98 million a 10 percent dip compared to the same 2010 quarter, according to Gatehouse documents posed on its Web site. The company is also  currently carrying a large debt, according to Media Nation.