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Tuesday, October 7, 1997

Scripps announces closure of El Paso Herald-Post

By EDUARDO MONTES Associated Press Writer

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - The El Paso Herald-Post, the largest daily afternoon newspaper in Texas, will cease publication Saturday because of sharply declining circulation, The E.W. Scripps Co. announced Monday.

The newspaper's 35 editorial employees were notified at an early morning meeting of the impending shutdown, which will end El Paso's distinction as the state's last remaining large city with competing dailies.

"I feel sure the community will feel this loss deeply beginning next week," said Herald-Post Editor Georgiana Vines.

The Herald-Post's circulation had fallen to 18,000 daily, compared with more than 31,000 about 10 years ago, making it difficult for the newspaper to survive, Scripps spokesman Rich Boehne said.

"It did not appear that there would be any circumstances, any change that would propel that circulation back up," Boehne said. "It seemed to be inevitable."

The newspaper's demise continues the decline of afternoon newspapers, which have been disappearing nationwide, and an increase in one-newspaper towns. Houston, San Antonio and Dallas have all lost newspapers this decade.

The Herald-Post's closure also ends a 61-year-old business and production partnership between the afternoon paper and the larger El Paso Times.

Scripps later entered into a joint operating agreement with Gannett Co., which acquired the Times in 1972. That agreement, scheduled to run until 2015, is being terminated. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Operations at the Times, which has a daily circulation of 65,500 and will pick up the Herald-Post's subscribers, will not be affected by the shutdown, said Chris Jensen, president of El Paso Times Inc.

"It's unfortunate any time you lose a voice in the community. It hurts. But it is just going to make us do our job better. We have to do our job better," Jensen said.

The Herald-Post's employees will be terminated, but will receive a severance package. Scripps will assist employees interested in relocating to compete for open positions with the company, said Vines, who will remain with Scripps and be reassigned.

The Herald-Post traces its roots to the El Paso Herald, which published its first edition in 1881. Scripps began publishing the El Paso Post in 1922.

Scripps bought The Herald in 1931 and combined the newspapers.

The Herald-Post and the Times joined their business and production operations five years later, but maintained separate editorial operations.

Scripps operates daily newspapers in 16 markets, including El Paso.

The company announced in May it will pay $775 million to purchase six daily newspapers owned by San Antonio-based Harte-Hanks Communications Inc. Five of the papers are in Texas: the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Abilene Reporter-News, Plano Star Courier, San Angelo Standard-Times and Wichita Falls Times Record News. The sixth paper is the Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail.

The deal also involves 25 non-daily publications along with television station KENS-TV and radio station KENS-AM, both in San Antonio.

After the closure of the Herald-Post, the largest remaining afternoon paper will be the Amarillo Globe-Times, with a daily circulation of about 16,000.Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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