Newspapers May be a Thing of the Past in Michigan

To piggyback onto Zack’s point from class today about daily newspapers moving to web-based models, four markets in Michigan will cease or drastically reduce their printed circulation and move to an online model where the emphasis will be on reader input and community forums. It was announced Monday that starting in July, the 174 year-old Ann Arbor News will become AnnArbor.com, and will only produce printed editions two days a week. The Ann Arbor News has a weekday circulation of 45,000. The Flint Journal, The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times will also be reducing their daily printing to Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays only. In addition, these three papers plan to lay off 35% of their workforce.