After serving Hudson County for 157 years, The Jersey Journal newspaper announced that it will cease publication on Saturday, February 1.
The newspaper said it could not remain in business following a decision by "The Star-Ledger" to close its production facility in Montville, N.J., which prints The Jersey Journal and several other newspapers. The Journal outsourced its printing several years ago to The Star-Ledger.
Facing a likely increase in cost to find a new printer and the fact that its circulation is small and dependent on newsstand sales, The Journal concluded that it had to end publication. “We fought as hard as we can for as long as we could,” said David Blomquist, The Journal’s editor and publisher. “An online-only publication simply would not have enough scale to support the strong, politically independent journalism that has distinguished The Journal.”
Based in Jersey City, The Journal concentrates on news, sports and the arts in Hudson County and its 12 municipalities.
Hal Turner Remarks
I was taken aback by this. The Jersey Journal has been around for my entire 62 years on this planet.
As a little kid, I remember my grandparents reading it, and the earlier edition which, at that time, was called "The Hudson Dispatch."
The Jersey Journal had such coverage and such impact on Hudson County that Jersey City named a part of Kennedy Boulevard "Journal Square" because that was where the Jersey Journal was headquartered. That is similar to "Times Square" in New York City, which is where the New York Times newspaper is still headquartered.
People traveling that part of Kennedy Boulevard always knew they were in Journal Square because they saw this:
It's was there for almost a hundred years!
This is like losing a family member! Sure, the "news" was slanted to the left, but it was usually OK.
Like most of you, I haven't bought a newspaper in years. I get all my news off the Internet now. So it has had to be tough for them for quite awhile.
I knew they were having issues when they switched - years ago - from a broadsheet paper, to a Tabloid-type paper.
I guess that was sort of a signal that they weren't doing so well. Now, we come to the end.
After 157 years. WOW.
Gonna miss it.
