Press & Sun-Bulletin Pulls Plug on Saturday Print Edition

For the first time in more than seven decades, Binghamton newspaper fans will no longer receive a print edition seven days a week.

The Press & Sun-Bulletin plans to drop its Saturday print edition after March 5.

The plan was announced on the Binghamton newspaper's website pressconnects.com Wednesday afternoon.

The move is the latest in a series of cost-cutting actions newspaper owner Gannett has implemented over the last several years. 136 company papers across the United States are eliminating Saturday print editions as circulation numbers continue to plummet.

Many newspaper industry observers had expected Gannett to drop more print editions in 2022. The company started the process by eliminating several print editions around holiday weekends last year.

Gannett respresentatives won't comment on when they plan to drop print editions on select weekdays.

Print advertising is light on Mondays and Tuesdays, making those editions likely targets for future cost-cutting. The bulk of advertising continues to appear in Sunday and Thursday editions.

Gannett closed its $50 million printing facility in Johnson City four years ago. The plant was shut down only 12 years after it opened.

The Binghamton, Elmira and Ithaca newspapers now are printed in the town of Greece, near Rochester. The production changes brought about earlier deadlines, meaning the print editions no longer had news from evening government meetings or sports scores.

The Binghamton Press published its first edition on April 11, 1904. The paper was published Monday through Saturday for more than 45 years. The Sunday Press made its debut on September 11, 1949. After that, the print edition was a fixture seven days a week, except for holidays. A holiday edition was instituted in 1975.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com.

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