Shakopee, Prior Lake, Chanhassen newspapers among weeklies shutting down this month
Publication of The Hutchinson Leader, Litchfield Independent, Shakopee Valley News, Prior Lake American, Savage Pacer, Jordan Independent, Chaska Herald and Chanhassen Villager weekly newspapers will cease at the end of April, company officials announced Thursday.
Like many newspaper businesses around the country, these weeklies have been challenged during the past decade and longer by changing lifestyle habits, especiallyby the dramatic shift in advertising revenue from local print publications to digital options such as Google, Facebook and Amazon.
The COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on newspaper businesses as well. Local advertising revenue is the primary revenue source for most weekly newspapers. Hundreds of newspapers across the country have closed or downsized, reduced their publication schedules and made other cost-cutting measures.
The newspapers listed above, operated as Crow River Media and Southwest News Media, were acquired by Denver-based MediaNews Group in 2020. MediaNews Group, which is owned by investment firm Alden Global Capital, also owns the St. Paul Pioneer-Press.
