Johnston Press has closed a free weekly newspaper in Scarborough in order to focus on its paid-for sister title the Scarborough Evening News.
The company has confirmed that the last edition of The Scarborough Trader will be on 8 September and will not result in any job losses. The Scarborough Evening News is one of the lowest circulation dailies with sales of just over 11,000 copies a day.
A spokesperson said: The Scarborough Trader, a 21,000 copy free newspaper, will be published for the last time on Thursday, September 8.
“In a tough trading environment this move is to focus all editorial and commercial effort on the paid-for newspaper, The Scarborough Evening News. There is no impact on editorial jobs.”
The demise of the title, which is produced from the same office as the Evening News, was announced to staff last month. The Trader was launched 30 years ago, in 1981, in competition to the daily Scarborough Evening News, which was part of Yorkshire Regional Newspapers.
YRN acquired the free title in the 90s, recreating a print monopoly in the town. At the time, YRN was owned by Emap, which later sold the group to Johnston Press.
Other free weekly newspapers that have come to an end this year include Northcliffe’s Nottingham Recorder, the title was one of the biggest in the country but was axed in June.
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To concentrate on the daily title – or clear the deck for it to become a paid-for weekly?
Hopefully the former. The SEN is still well loved in Scarborough and deserves a chance.
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no job losses means it probably didn’t employ any staff. most freebies seem to rely on staff on other papers recycling it rather employing their own staff.
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Spotter makes a fair point but it’s not unusual for companies to align total head count with total revenue. So when the freebie bites the dust, so, too, do a few staff. Presumably on this occasion The Trader is losing money so its demise will benefit all.
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