Orkney Today to close after seven years (original) (raw)

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Orkney Today, a weekly regional newspaper, is to close after seven years with the loss of nine jobs.

Orkney Today: closing after seven years

The paid-for title, published by Orkney Media Group, is closing in December, the latest victim of falling print ads and sliding circulations.

A statement on the company’s website said: "The company has reluctantly concluded that the newspaper is non-viable, following unsustainable drops in advertising revenue and circulation over a number of years.

"Orkney Media Group management and the newspaper’s excellent staff have tried a number of initiatives to reverse the fortunes of the newspaper, but to no avail."

Orkney Today, priced 85p, was launched in 2003. It was taken over by rival publisher The Orcadian in 2007, which led to the formation of Orkney Media Group.

Orkney Media Group has now decided that publishing two weekly newspapers – Orkney Today and The Orcadian – is no longer financially viable.

According to audited figures, Orkney Today had an ABC figure of 4,797 in the period between January and June this year. Its highest circulation was around 7,000 copies.

The jobs under threat include five editorial posts. However, Orkney Media Group is looking to redeploy some of the affected staff within the organisation.