So it’s come to this. Ann Arbor will be the first city in the US to lose its only newspaper.
The news, though, I would say is not quite as dire as it sounds. The Ann Arbor News will be replaced with annarbor.com, a web publication that will go to print Thursdays and Sundays.
Of course, they laid off all their staff — who now have the option of applying for jobs at the website — and sold their iconic building. But while that might be upsetting or frustrating, I hope we’ve all gotten used to the idea that news businesses won’t be as flashy as they once were — I no longer expect a city to have a downtown skyscraper labeled “Toronto Star,” and I’ve stopped imagining that there’ll be another Ken Thomson. Ever.
At least there’ll still be some news in Ann Arbor.
We’ll keep a close eye on what bevvy of print and online publications spring up as this plays out.
In the meantime, check out this interesting analysis from Poynter about why Ann Arbor was the first to go.
- Why Ann Arbor Will be the First City to Lose its Only Daily Newspaper, Rick Edmonds, Poynter Biz Blog, June 23