It’s the end of an era for a southern New Brunswick newspaper publisher.
Ossekeag Publishing, the company behind The Valley Viewer, Hampton Herald and Sussex Herald, has announced it is shutting down.
After three decades and reaching thousands of homes, the decision by owners Amanda Crealock and Kevin Crealock was a difficult one.
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They ran the publications for just 18 months, but there was just not enough ad revenue to support the business.
“It’s just the cost of paper has gone up, the cost of postage went up, and we didn’t feel we could translate those increases to our costs to our advertisers, who are already struggling,” Amanda Crealock said.
She says that competing against the likes of the Irving owned papers was a factor in their decision — although it was not the main reason.
“Some of our advertisers were absolutely going with the Irvings simply because they could offer more bang for the buck,” Crealock said.
The three publications provided a diverse offering of very local information, ranging from community events, self-help articles to anniversaries and memorials. People in the community say they’ll be missed.
“We’ve heard a lot of comments such as, ‘Where am I going to hear about my church supper now?'” Crealock said.
Saint John author David Goss was a contributor to Oseekeag and started writing for the Valley Viewer years ago.
“I saw it as a very important tool in the community for letting people know what was going on,” Goss said.
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Goss points out it’s not only a loss for the reader but also for the aspiring writer.
While the door to Oseekeag Publishing is now officially closed, the Crealocks want everyone to know that that door is not necessarily locked.
They hope that some day in the future they can once again tell the communities’ stories in some form.
Anyone with input is encouraged to email them to leave feedback.