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The Berkshire Eagle reduces print schedule

Sep 06, 2020 5:45 am
Larry Parnass is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle the paper will soon eliminate two days of print publication and turn its Sunday edition into a weekend paper delivered to readers on Saturday. Fredric D. Rutberg, the company's president and publisher made the announcement September 3. Affiliated daily publications in Bennington and Brattleboro, Vt., will eliminate one day of print publication, as well. "For years, we have known that the future of our industry is with digital publishing, and COVID-19 has accelerated the shift to 21st century publishing, that we call Being Digital," Rutberg said in a letter to readers. "Being Digital means delivering the news in a way to fit the times and accommodate the future." The Eagle will begin producing print editions Tuesday through Saturday, starting October 6. The Bennington Banner and Brattleboro Reformer will also print editions Tuesday through Saturday beginning in October. The papers will continue to produce Monday e-editions and focus on digital publishing seven days a week. In making the decision, The Eagle is following the example of newspapers nationwide. Rutberg said in an interview that when the pandemic hit, advertisers closed their wallets, leading to significant revenue drops for The Eagle, as well as the Bennington Banner and Brattleboro Reformer, part of the publication group. "You have to look back to March. It just fell off the table," he said. Revenues dropped by 50 percent. "We did some projections and it showed devastating losses going forward," Rutberg said. "So how do you manage that? We didn't want to throw quality out the window." After stabilizing the business through use of furloughs and a Paycheck Protection Program loan, the ownership team took stock. The Berkshire Eagle, considered the paper of record for Berkshire County, Mass., has published daily since 1892. Since May 1, 2016, it has been owned by a group of local investors, who purchased The Eagle and its three Vermont sister newspapers for an undisclosed sum from Digital First Media. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.
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