Another hammer blow was dealt to local newspapers in Northern Ireland with the announcement that the Tyrone Times was to close its doors.
The Cookstown-based newspaper is owned by the JPI Media group, formerly known as Johnston Press.
The group cited the closure was an attempt at securing the “long-term stability of the business”.
Tyrone Times is one of ten regional newspapers across the UK to be culled.
The publisher said no jobs would be lost in the process, with affected staff to be moved to its other titles.
It follows the closure of a number of newspaper offices in Northern Ireland in 2017 – including the Armagh Observer.
The paper had been in publication for close to nine decades but the Observer Newspapers Group ceased printing all 11 titles due to their struggle “to sustain long-term sustainability”.
A JPI Media spokesperson said: “The decision to close these titles has not been taken lightly, but it is crucial that we focus all our efforts on the long-term stability of the business and deliver newspapers and websites which can sustain our business for the long term.
“We would like to thank all our readers and advertisers for their support through the decades, and we hope they will understand why we have made this decision in these challenging times.
“We can also confirm that no jobs will be impacted by the closures.”
JPI Media was founded in 2018 and is owned by former Johnston Press bondholders Goldentree Asset Management, Carval Investors, Benefit Street Partners and Fidelity.
The group also owned local titles Portadown Times and Lurgan Mail.
The ten titles set to close are:
Morley Observer and Advertiser
Tyrone Times
Epworth Bells
Hawick News
Selkirk Weekend Advertiser
Worthing Advertiser
Glasgow South and Eastwood Extra
Portsmouth View
Wharfe Valley Time
The Hayling Islander
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