New Orleans Becomes Largest U.S. City Without Daily Newspaper

The cuts come after the paper saw a steep drop in circulation. I n 2005, before Hurricane Katrina, the paper had a daily circulation of 261,000; in March of this year, the circulation was 132,000.

By Jorge Rivas May 25, 2012

Advanced Publications, the group that publishes New Orleans’ Times-Picayune newspaper, announced Thursday it would scale back its printed edition to three days a week and shift its emphasis to online coverage. Similar cost cutting measures are happening across the country but New Orleans will become the largest city without a daily newspaper and many residents still don’t have internet at home.

The cuts come after the paper saw a steep drop in circulation. In 2005, before Hurricane Katrina, the paper had a daily circulation of 261,000; in March of this year, the circulation was 132,000.

According to a 2010 report from the Kaiser Foundation, 36 percent of residents in New Orleans do not have Internet access at home.

The New York Times points out a similar cost-cutting initiatives were recently announced in Alabama — The Birmingham News, The Press-Register of Mobile and The Huntsville Times. They, too, will print only three days a week and undergo staff cuts.