In June, the Enterprise-Journal will reduce the number of print editions it produces each week from five to two.
The newspaper will continue to be delivered through the U.S. mail, arriving to subscribers on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
“Only a handful of newspapers in Mississippi continue to deliver print editions five days or more a week. Most that used to publish daily cut back several years ago, and I regret that the Enterprise-Journal must reduce the count by one more,” editor Jack Ryan said. “But the costs of printing and delivering a newspaper continue to increase. The cost of paper, ink and plates is high, and we have absorbed at least five rate increases from the Postal Service without raising our subscription prices.”
Printed editions will be produced five days next week, Tuesday through Saturday, May 31, as they have for the past several years.
After that, the next print edition will be delivered on Wednesday, June 4, followed by the weekend edition on Saturday, June 7.
Subscription prices for the print edition will be reduced when the twice-per-week schedule starts. The current monthly home delivery price of $15 will be reduced to $12, and the cost for other delivery periods will decrease as well.
Current customers will have their subscriptions extended to reflect the price changes.
Single-copy prices at convenience stores and other locations will be $1.50 on both Wednesdays and Sundays.
Other anticipated changes include more local news and sports in each print edition, typically covering two or three days worth of events. The twice-weekly schedule also will include papers with a few more pages than those that are produced now.
“We are not reducing our news or advertising staffs,” Ryan said. “The McComb area is rich with interesting stories, and we have good relationships with many businesses who have supported us through their advertising. None of that will change.
“The Enterprise-Journal is the only business using local residents to produce original news and advertising content for McComb, Pike County and Southwest Mississippi. And we’re going to keep doing it.”
Emmerich Newspapers president Wyatt Emmerich, whose family has owned the Enterprise-Journal since 1923, added, “It is sad but inevitable that we must reduce print frequency. Mail costs have skyrocketed, Big Tech ad monopolies are crushing local media outlets and tariffs on Canadian newsprint loom on the horizon.
“This is the time for the community to rally behind the Enterprise-Journal. Professional local news is crucial to a community, and we are doing everything we can to survive the tsunami of forces hurting local news. We pray our readers understand our situation.”
