Friday, September 06, 2019

Two GateHouse papers in Arkansas set to close


Two GateHouse papers in Arkansas are set to cease publication, with their final editions on Sept. 6, the papers announced. The Stuttgart Daily Leader and the Helena-West Helena World are both looking for parties interested in owning the papers, the papers said.
“Our hope is still that the closure is avoided, and that the Daily Leader continues to serve this community under new ownership,” said Matt Guthrie, GateHouse regional vice president. Guthrie expressed similar hopes for the Helena-West Helena paper.
GateHouse is also making changes at the Pine Bluff Commercial, according to the paper. The paper plans to close its printing press this month.
“Changes are being made with our printing press, and printing will be outsourced, but we will continue to print and deliver papers five days a week,” Jennifer Allen, group publisher for GateHouse, said in a brief Commercial story. The story didn’t say where the printing would go.
Some seven people will lose jobs with the shuttering of the two papers, and around seven will see effects with the closing of the printing press, said Allen, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The Pine Bluff press also printed the two other papers.
In August, GateHouse announced its $1.4 billion acquisition of Gannett, which has papers in in Mountain Home and Fort Smith, the Democrat-Gazette points out.
In other GateHouse news, the company will pay up to $425,000 to settle a lawsuit with its carriers, who claim they were misclassified as independent contractors, MassLive reported.
GateHouse won’t need to change its practices as part of the settlement.
News and Tech

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