• by September 24, 2019

The Statesboro Herald, a local newspaper covering a region in southeastern Georgia with about 75,000 people, will cut back from publishing six days a week to three next month.

Jim Healey, the editor and operations manager for the publication, announced the change in an online post.

Part of the change reflects the difficulty in finding people to deliver the newspaper to people's homes. Starting on Oct. 1, the print version of the newspaper will be sent through the mail, arriving at subscriber homes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

"For many years, and the past two or three in particular, we have struggled to maintain a newspaper carrier force that is consistently reliable in delivering the Herald to print subscribers on time, six days a week," Healey said.

The Statesboro Herald's website will continue to be updated regularly. The newspaper will send a daily emailed newsletter to subscribers of the print and online editions.

In apologizing for the change, Healey cited economic forces that have negatively affected many local media outlets, including competition from digital rivals that have drawn away readers and advertisers.

The newspaper industry has seen collapsing ad revenue, lower circulation and significant job losses in the past 10 to 15 years. Newsroom employment has dropped by 25% since 2008, and ad revenue is down 70% from a peak of $50 billion 2005, according to Pew Research Center.

Nearly 1,800 newspapers closed between 2004 and 2018, leaving 200 counties with no local newspaper and about half the counties in the country with just one, according to a University of North Carolina study.

Healey said the Statesboro Herald is committed to providing local news to the community.

"Our traditional and historic role of chronicling all the things that are important to readers in our community will not change," Healey said.