Some Northern Virginia newspaper publishers are taking creative chances to retain a viable print presence in an industry where online news is increasingly dominant.
As instability in readership and advertising has disrupted revenue streams, some specialized publications have still found success. Meanwhile, at least one local newspaper, the Falls Church News-Press, has embarked on an effort to form a partnership with local municipal leaders.
The News-Press’s efforts have not borne fruit, as city officials have been iffy about the proposals. But the initiative is another indication that although local print journalism may be on the ropes, it shouldn’t be counted out just yet.
Some readers and advertisers drift away from print
Printing and distributing community newspapers is far more expensive than the online alternative, but historically, publishers could rely on print advertising to cover the costs.
In recent years, however, many advertisers have drifted to other options, leaving publishers to seek a financial sweet spot between balancing print and online offerings.
How are local media organizations tackling the challenge? Many in the Northern Virginia community-news world apparently did not want to discuss the subject.
Among the editors and publishers unresponsive to ARLnow queries were those at the Alexandria Times, Connection Newspapers, Fairfax Times, Fauquier Times and Loudoun Now.
One who did respond was Dennis Brack, president of Rappahannock Media. His firm owns titles including the Rappahannock News, Culpeper Times, Fauquier Now and InsideNova.
He told ARLnow that the key to lasting success is providing a variety of options both for advertisers and the community.
“Our company has both a substantial digital and print audience,” Brack said. “We meet readers on whatever media they prefer. And we offer local businesses both digital and print products that allow them to connect with desirable local audiences. It’s not an either/or issue.”
Getting creative to survive
Some publications, such as Loudoun Now, have converted to nonprofit status, hoping to encourage grant funding and reader contributions to supplement declining ad revenue.
“We have had dedicated advertisers since our launch in 2015, but their support alone can no longer fully fund the scale of newsroom operations needed to meet our community-coverage expectations,” Loudoun Now publisher Norman Styer said in January 2024.
“Operating as a nonprofit will provide long-term financial sustainability and expanded coverage of areas of public interest,” Styer said in announcing the conversion to nonprofit status.
The Falls Church News-Press’s effort to form a partnership of some sort with city-government officials — one that goes beyond simply purchasing advertising space — is a new tack.
In an editorial in the News-Press’s June 26 edition, owner and publisher Nicholas Benton followed up on ARLnow coverage of his efforts to convince Falls Church officials of the value of more directly supporting the city’s newspaper of record.
Benton wrote that he recently had spent 90 minutes with Mayor Letty Hardi and Vice Mayor Debora Schantz-Hiscott in an effort to “reach wider audiences in Arlington and Fairfax with steady news aimed at attracting people” to Falls Church.
“Expanding the News-Press’ distribution into a wider market can capitalize on this,” Benton wrote. “Beyond simply an immediate return on investment, the benefit to everyone in Falls Church would be incalculable. And, it would take only four votes out of seven on the Falls Church City Council, and the internal fortitude to get them, to make it happen.”
A century of comings and goings
Over the past century, the local region has been littered with the corpses of newspapers — some lasting for just weeks, others for decades.
Some simply died, while others merged in marriages of convenience. Many live on in microfilm archives at local libraries and in digital form through an initiative at the Library of Virginia.
Among the titles covering Arlington’s 26 square miles since the 1930s: Arlington Connection, Arlington Courier, Arlington Daily, Arlington Gazette, Arlington Journal, Arlington Record, the Chronicle, Northern Virginia Shoppers’ Record, Northern Virginia Sun, Potomac News and Sun Gazette.
Today, only the Arlington Connection soldiers on, publishing twice a month with editions typically no larger than 12 to 16 pages and focused primarily on feature articles.
The Sun Gazette, which published editions in Arlington and Fairfax County, closed up shop in February 2023. It was the end of a lineage dating back to the start of the Northern Virginia Sun in 1935, much of it as a daily paper.
Until the early 2000s, the Sun Gazettes were exceptionally profitable thanks to extensive real-estate and legal advertising. They mailed more than 50,000 copies each week to upper-income neighborhoods in Arlington, Great Falls, McLean, Vienna, Oakton and Tysons.
Multiple changes of ownership, increasing production costs and declining ad revenue all played a part in the decline.
A week after the Sun Gazettes’ closure, a new pair of newspapers — the GazetteLeaders — made their debut with the same staff but different ownership. That effort lasted just 18 months before the Arizona-based parent company sold the assets to Local News Now, the parent company for ARLnow, FFXnow and ALXnow.
One challenge for both the Sun Gazette and GazetteLeader operations was the increasing cost and declining delivery commitments of the U.S. Postal Service.
At one point, newspapers dropped in the mailstream would most likely see home delivery a day later. By the pandemic era, however, delays were common. The alternative — recruiting and retaining a delivery staff — proved equally challenging.
Print’s decline has impacted daily newspapers, as well.
The Washington Star was seen as the region’s premier daily print newspaper until its demise in the early 1980s. The Journal Newspapers in the early 2000s were sold and transformed into the Examiners, with local coverage ultimately abandoned in favor of national political coverage.
The Washington Post’s local coverage has shrunk through the decades, with Metro no longer a standalone section in an increasingly skimpy print offering.
Specialized publications finding success
In addition to general-circulation community newspapers, publishers of more specialized publications are also working to balance evolving advertising and readership trends.
Among them is Greg Hamilton, president and owner of Arlington Magazine. The magazine publishes a print edition six times per year and has a significant online presence.
“Although the print magazine still dominates our business, digital is the fastest-growing segment,” Hamilton told ARLnow, adding:
“Our print magazine will continue to play an important role for us. Specialty print publications, like community-focused lifestyle magazines, are in a fortunate position because they continue to expand and attract new readers and advertisers. We have every reason to believe our magazine will grow in the years to come. We also understand the value of digital media, and we have been investing in it and expanding our operation for years.”
Others are working to find ways to add to the overall mix of community journalism in print.
One community leader has mulled plans to develop a monthly or bimonthly publication focused on spreading the news of non-profit and service organizations. Sponsors could underwrite the modest costs, supporters of the concept believe.
