An award-winning Scottish weekly has announced its closure after what it called an “unsustainable” drop in circulation and advertising revenue.
Orkney Today, the current Highlands and Islands Newspaper of the Year, is to cease publication on 9 December.
The title averaged a weekly sale of 4,797 during the first half of the year according to the most recent ABC figures – a year-on-year decline of 9.7pc.
It faced fierce competiton from a stablemate, the 156-year-old Orcadian title, which shared the same building and was published on the same day.
In a statement on the newspaper’s website, its publishers said: “It is with considerable regret that Orkney Media Group proposes that the Orkney Today newspaper will close.
“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.”
Five editorial jobs are at risk as a result of the proposed closure and a consultation process will now be undertaken with affected staff.
When it won the Highlands and Islands award in February, the title was praised for its ‘good layout and all round coverage of news, features and sport’.
Launched in October 2003, the newspaper has also regularly won individual awards for its journalism and photography.
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Real shame for those comcerned. How may titles have won awards only to suffer dramatic drops in sale ? Awards and Newspaper Design Gurus – the kiss of death !
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What exactly were the owners thinking launching a new paper as a direct rival of their own more established one? Coming out of the same building on the same day as the Orcadian, it’s a wonder it ever manager the garner any sales.
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They didn’t launch it Davy. It was launched as an independent title in 2003 and bought by the Orkney Media Group in 2007.
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Sad. Best of luck to the affected staff.
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Thanks HTFP ed. That makes a little bit more sense….and at least they didn’t buy it just to close it down. They in fact had a good go at running it for three years. Consider me suitably chastened.
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Maybe the information about the title being taken over should have been in the HTFP story in the first place. I applaud the company for trying but feel for the people whose jobs are at risk. Hopefully they are in the NUJ and will be able to get help and advice – although I don’t suppose there are other journo jobs available locally.
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