A Geelong newspaper and three local magazines have either stopped publishing or will release their final editions this month.
Geelong News announced on Wednesday that its final paper would be the 29 June edition.
News Corp’s Geelong Advertiser Group distributes the paper free throughout the city’s urban area.
Group general manager Daniel Clarke blamed “large scale shifts in media consumption” for the demise of the News.
Closing a paper more than 50 years old was “sad” but it was “important to focus on exciting times ahead for the Geelong Advertiser Group”, he wrote in the News this week.
The print edition of the Advertiser has recorded ongoing circulation falls since hitting what it called a peak in 2003.
Circulation of the Saturday Advertiser has fallen from its high of 48,000 to less than 30,000 and its weekday editions register less than 20,000 sales.
Geelong’s Ad-Cell Group has announced that the current edition of Business News will be its last in print, while sister publication Ruby will also cease publishing. Ad-Cell’s Maureen Tayler said Business News would go digital-only, without the loss of jobs.
Business News had been in production as a monthly magazine for 23 years. The women’s-market Ruby quarterly magazine was first released around three years ago.
Staff from Geelong radio stations BayFM and K-Rock staff have confirmed that owner Grant Broadcasters has stopped publishing its year-old quarterly Bay Lifestyle magazine.
The spate of closures was tragic for the people who worked on the publications, said Geelong Indy managing editor Tony Galpin.
“Our thoughts are with anyone who has lost employment or a job they loved. Hopefully the proprietors will be able to absorb any affected positions,” he said.
“Making newspapers and magazines is a real labour of love. I’m sure the managers who had to make these decisions did so very regretfully and with deep concern for the people involved.”
Mr Galpin said the Indy, its various sister publications and digital products were here to stay.
“It’s a tough business, like anything these days, so now more than ever we appreciate the goodwill and support of our advertisers and readers.
“Thanks for helping us continue providing the service we’ve offered for almost 30 years. We look forward to continuing our wonderful relationship with the community.”
