OC Weekly Has Shut Down After 24 Years in Print

OC Weekly, a free weekly paper serving communities in Orange County and Long Beach, has shuttered after 24 years in print.

In an announcement on Twitter, the paper confirmed that its owner, Duncan McIntosh Company, made the decision to pull the plug. The paper’s full 19-person staff, as listed on its masthead, has effectively been laid off. (Representatives for Duncan McIntosh Company did not immediately respond TheWrap’s request for comment.)

“Adios Motherf—-ers!” OC Weekly’s tweet said. “For the last quarter century, we’ve tried to bring good stories to Orange County. It’s been fun, but now we’re done.”

Adios Motherfuckers! Today, the day before Thanksgiving, our owner Duncan McIntosh Company has decided to shut us down. For the last quarter century, we’ve tried to bring good stories to Orange County. It’s been fun, but now we’re done. pic.twitter.com/Y51ynOHbgp

— OC Weekly (@OCWeekly) November 27, 2019

The Weekly was founded in 1995. It had a circulation of 45,000 and reached more than 503,000 active readers. In 2016, it was purchased by Duncan McIntosh Company, a publisher that also owns Editor and Publisher, The Log, Sea Magazine, and Boating World. The latter two publications were also shuttered as of today. DMC also runs the Newport Boat Show and Lido Yacht Expo. It acquired the newspaper in February 2016 from the owner of the Village Voice and other alternative weeklies.

At a mandatory meeting last Monday, editorial and sales staffers were informed that owner Duncan McIntosh Company would be closing the paper. In the hopes that a last-minute sale might save the publication, the staff kept quiet about the news until this afternoon when it was clear that attempts to sell it were unsuccessful.

The paper closed out its 24-year run with a final cover story on Wednesday about Dwight Manley, the sports agent and real-estate developer.

“Aaaand it’s a wrap,” Gabriel San Román, a staff writer for O.C. Weekly, tweeted on Wednesday. “I’m grateful for my time as a Weekling and appreciative of all the opportunities to tell stories other outlets wouldn’t.”

Nate Jackson contributed to this report.

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