Sad note for small towns

For as long as I can remember my home town has had a paper. it will stop publishing next week and I'm very sad at the news.

Progress to cease publication Sept. 26

By Progress Staff
Lee Central California Newspapers announced last week that two of its weeklies, the Avenal Progress and the Twin City Times, will cease publication at the end of this month. The last issue will be printed Sept. 26.

"Both of these publications have a long history in their city, and with the people they serve. However that number has dwindled to the point where it no longer makes sense to publish," said Randy Rickman, publisher of LCCN and the group's daily newspaper, The Sentinel.

Lee Central California Newspapers will continue to publish The Sentinel, as well as its remaining weeklies, the Selma Enterprise, Kingsburg Recorder, Coalinga Record and Lemoore Advance.

Subscribers to the Avenal Progress will be offered alternate subscriptions to the Coalinga Record or a refund. They will continue to receive weekly advertisements and information through the Central Valley Guide.

The move comes as LCCN pursues other long-term opportunities, said Rickman.

"This move will position us better to take advantage of the tremendous growth in online and niche publications," he said.

Lee Enterprises, with headquarters in Davenport, Iowa, is a premier publisher of local news, information and advertising in primarily midsize markets, with 51 daily newspapers and a joint interest in five others, rapidly growing online sites and more than 300 weekly newspapers and specialty publications in 23 states.

With the acquisition of Pulitzer Inc. in June 2005, Lee became the fourth largest newspaper company in the country in terms of dailies owned, and grew from 12th to seventh largest in terms of total daily circulation.

(Sept. 19, 2007)