As of Oct. 17th, the Montreal Gazette Monday print edition will be no longer available.
Postmedia, the parent company, has decided to scale back on the print publications for all nine of its daily newspapers across the country.
“Well, I tell you I was quite disappointed,” said Eva Ludvig, president of the English rights lobby group, Quebec Community Groups Network.
“I understand that print media is in trouble today.”
Postmedia didn’t provide anyone for an interview but pointed to a notice on its website which says, “the decision reflects the rapidly changing news consumption habits of our readers, the needs of our advertisers and the escalating costs of printing and delivering a printed product.”
Longtime readers say it’s a sign of the times — yet another blow to the declining English voice in the city and the province.
“The Montreal Gazette is an institution,” Ludvig pointed out. “It’s close to 250 years old. You would say it’s even part of our own heritage.”
On its website, the Montreal Gazette says readers can still access the publication online, and that “the Monday edition will still be available digitally with ePaper, a digital replica of our printed product.”
Ludwig noted, however, that seniors who are not internet savvy and still depend on a printed paper will miss out, because many depend on it for their information.
She fears the publication could eventually be lost.
“It doesn’t look good for the future and that is unfortunate for those of us who are into our news,” she told Global News.
Ludwig wants governments to step in to help what she’s calls a heritage publication, survive.
One expert, though, wonders about the company’s willingness to serve the public
“I think what we’re seeing over and over is that these huge chains are not in the best position to provide the news that we need in communities, because they need to make money,” argued Magda Konieczna, associate professor of Journalism at Concordia Uniform.
She believes Postmedia is not investing enough in local coverage.
“If they were saying, ‘ok we’re not going to provide the print edition on Mondays but we’re going to turn that money into funding more local coverage of things that are happening across Montreal,’ that would feel really different,” she told Global News.
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