10 MN Newspapers To Cease Publication This Month

TWIN CITIES, MN — Ten Minnesota newspapers owned by Southwest News Media will cease operations this month, the publisher announced, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-changing dynamics of advertising revenue in the digital age.

The Litchfield Independent Review, Hutchinson Leader, and the Meeker County Advertiser will publish their last editions on April 24.

The final editions of the Chaska Herald, Chanhassen Villager, and Jordan Independent will be published on April 25.

The Shakopee Valley News, Prior Lake American, Savage Pacer, and Southwest Saturday will publish their last editions on April 27.

The Crow River Press printing plant will also shutter its doors.

"Many newspapers throughout the country have been challenged during the past decade or longer by changing lifestyle habits, especially by the dramatic shift in advertising revenue from local print publications to digital options such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon," the publisher wrote Thursday.

"The COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on newspaper businesses as well, with advertising revenue falling 25 percent to 50 percent. Local advertising revenue is the primary revenue source for most weekly newspapers. Hundreds of newspapers across the country have closed or downsized, reduced their publication schedules and made other cost-cutting measures. Industry experts estimate more than a quarter of all newspapers published in the U.S. have ceased operation in the past two decades."

Southwest News Media and Crow River Media were bought in 2020 by MediaNews Group, the Denver-based company that still owns the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The Shakopee Valley News and Chaska Herald have been published for more than 160 years, according to Southwest News Media, and the Jordan Independent was founded 140 years ago.