A weekly newspaper edition revived two years ago has closed again after its publishers decided it “no longer makes financial sense” to keep it going.
Archant weekly The Comet has confirmed this week’s Biggleswade, Sandy and Potton edition of the paper will be its last – with its editor admitting “the sums don’t add up”.
A previous incarnation of the Biggleswade Comet ceased publication in August 2008 but was revived in May 2016 under launch editor James Scott, who has since taken up a new role as Archant London’s education editor.
The Stevenage, Hitchin and Letchworth & Baldock editions of The Comet are unaffected by the latest move.
The last Biggleswade edition of The Comet
In a piece announcing the edition’s closure on yesterday’s front page, Comet editor Nick Gill said: “Since relaunching this edition in May 2016, we have been welcomed into the community with open arms and, for that, we thank you.
“In its beginnings, the biggest challenge for launch editor James Scott was establishing the contacts that would ensure we could tell the stories that matter to the community we serve.
“To that end, I believe the last 31 months have been a success. Our first front page about Stratton Upper School’s £8.4 million science block taking shape set the tone and, over time, we built relationships with many schools, businesses, groups, councillors and the public.
“I have no doubt that those relationships – both editorially and commercially – can be mutually beneficial, but regrettably in this instance we were not able to find a sustainable solution.”
Nick went on: “I am extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve in what admittedly is tough times for journalism, where demands are great and time is short.
“So, with all this in mind, why are we closing this edition? Put simply, it no longer makes financial sense.
“While my job is focused on producing the best journalism we can, the Comet and publisher Archant is a business – and one that needs to balance the books. When the sums don’t add up, you no longer have a viable business – and that, in a nutshell, is why the Biggleswade, Sandy & Potton edition can’t continue.
“Printing and distributing thousands of copies costs money and when advertising revenue doesn’t reach the required targets, that means trouble. In that sense, there was no choice but to close this edition – but that doesn’t make it any less difficult or sad.”
The town of Biggleswade continues to be served by the JPI Media-owned weekly, the Biggleswade Chronicle.
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It doesn’t make sense to keep rolling out papers so few are interested any longer,and with copy sales and ad revenues in free fall I predict more closures across the group in the months to come.
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If the first front page was an update on a school science block then I am surprised the paper lasted as long as it did.
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Love it – on the one hand ‘Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers’ and then ‘Oh by the way goodbye, thanks for coming!’
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My local paper (JP) has given up putting proper news on its front so I fear the Comet might not be the last to come cashing to earth unless someone pulls their finger out with some decent journalism. Have a good Xmas everyone and I hope all those still employed on papers have a better 2019.
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Another winner of a front-page design from the Archant weeklies division. Honestly, does anyone inside Prospect House seriously believe papers such as this have any pick-up value whatsoever now? My young daughter could come up with a better festive wishes panel than that. This one must have taken, ooh, seconds to put together. Dreadful.
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@OneTimeSub
Trust me this is one of the better ones.
The weeklies,always the poor relations, have been left to rot away following one copy sales crash after another as evidenced by the latest ABC figures which sees the trend of huge copy sake and ad revenue losses continue.
Having lost their audiences they have no long or short term sustainable future so why the company continues to embarrass itself by putting them out is beyond me,as I said previously I cannot see many of them still being published this time next year.
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* sake s/be ‘sale’
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