From their website:
With great sadness, I have to announce that The Canadian Jewish News will cease publishing its printed newspaper with its June 20 edition.
I never dreamed that I would be writing this. No nightmare of mine envisioned it.
For some time, we have known of the ravages that printed newspapers and magazines have been experiencing across the world. The digital age, in which news and commentary are retrieved instantly on smartphones, on computers and on all kinds of new devices, has overtaken the printed word. For the most part, the attractions of printed paper are welcome experiences only for an older generation and appear to be destined to be things of the past. Added to this that much of the world believes that news and commentary should be free.
Newspapers depend for their existence on advertising. It is their lifeblood. Growing numbers of advertisers are no longer convinced that they will get responses to what they pay for in printed publications. Add to that the economic situation in effect over the past few years has left little monies for advertising.
While we were alert to what was happening around us, we hoped that The CJN, with its “niche” attraction, would not be like others, and that our print edition would survive and flourish. We made substantial operating changes, which we thought would assist. After careful analysis, we have concluded that they do not.
We are pained to have to make this decision. We know the role that The CJN has played in the community for the past 42 years. Notwithstanding our editorial integrity and a cadre of superb writers, we face an evolving society, a different readership and changed demands.
If The CJN is to be a vibrant part of the future, it will only be as an enhanced and expanded digital edition. That is our hope. However, The CJN will disappear from your mailboxes and the newsstands.
We appreciate the loyalty of our subscribers and advertisers. As importantly, we appreciate our committed staff – some 50 people – many of whom have worked for the paper for so long and with the greatest dedication.
Reality dictates to us that “for every thing there is a season….”
Donald Carr, President
The Canadian Jewish News
CJN, which competes with the Jewish Tribune, has editions in Montreal and Toronto.
More coverage from the Globe and Mail, National Post and Canada.com, plus a blog post from Mike Cohen.
UPDATE: A follow-up from editor Mordechai Ben-Dat and President Donald Carr on the efforts to keep CJN alive, including the Save CJN campaign.
Fix your source links.
Thanks for the heads up though… Quite surprising to hear. But at the same time, not. I wonder if The Suburban will close eventually too. I see those 2 papers as semi-equals.
I am not surprised by this closing, niche or not. Let’s face it, the Jewish community isn’t as big as the Italian one, so La Courriere Italiano is probably still safe and are owned by a bigger community who probably wouldn’t dare close it..The Suburban, even though I am not a fan of that paper for their anglo angst, will probably continue to survive as they are more regional..
But I see smaller papers like the Verdun and LaSalle Messenger merge to form a regional paper like the Chronicle..smaller papers are on marked time unless they merge.. Weeklies will in effect have to become more regional than just a small area like we have on the Island of Montreal..
This will only make the Suburban stronger as traditional advertisers look for somewhere to go. Also the Suburban has about 5 times the circulation of the CJN and its contributors are better ;)
How do you measure circulation when the paper is free?