The Metroland Media Group, owned by Nordstar Capital, which owns the Bracebridge Examiner, Gravenhurst Banner, Huntsville Forester and The Muskokan, among other community publications, announced Friday that it plans to end the print editions of its community newspapers and will exit the flyer business as it seeks protection under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act as part of a restructuring plan.
Under the plan, Metroland’s community publications will move to a digital-only model.
Metroland stated the decision is a result of unsustainable financial losses stemming from the changing preferences of consumers and advertisers.
“The media industry continues to face existential challenges, largely because digital tech giants have used their dominant positions to take the vast majority of the advertising revenue in Canada,” the company said in a statement.
“The decline of the print and flyer distribution business was significantly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and by the reduction of flyer usage both by readers and advertisers as a marketing vehicle.”
The restructuring will mean the loss of 605 jobs or about 60 per cent of its total workforce.
Locally, Metroland sold its building in Huntsville and staff in both Bracebridge and Huntsville were working from home.
The bankruptcy will spare the company’s daily newspapers, including the Hamilton Spectator, Peterborough Examiner, St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Falls Review, Welland Tribune, and the Waterloo Region Record, which will continue both in print and online.
The Toronto Star will also continue to operate, as it is owned by a separate company and not part of the bankruptcy filing, according to Muskoka Region.
Compiled with reports from the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail and Global News and Muskoka Region.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
Bill white says
This has been expected for some time now. Seems that all print media took their readership for grantwd but failed miserably delivering a acceptable level of service. The Nugget has sold off their building in North Bay as readers/ subscribers fled for the hils. Even flyer delivery is at best intermittant.
So tge media landscape has changed drastically, and will continue to do so. Elextronic is wher we all get oir information these dsys. And that is just getting better every dsy.
Sad. . .? A bit but not totally unexpected.
Doug Austin says
Very Sad News… 🙁
I enjoy the tactile news devoid of technology and all the web sites trying to distract.
On Line, when I don’t see a trusted news agency / Journalist attached to an article — is it true or ??
I do hope something replaces it.
So long, Its been great to read you over the year.
John. Finley says
Metro land has provided great coverage at the small municipal level. Too bad to see this disappear. I hope all the RED roadside boxes will be picked up in a responsible manner. We have one positioned next to a community mail box that is full of garbage and has never been maintained.
Clare Ross says
Finally!!!! Spreading these plastic bag covered advertisement bombs was never a good idea.
Drew Colnett says
Is there any consideration of the Doppler expanding its reporting area to fill the gaps caused by the departure of the Forester, Banner and Examiner? Possibly amalgamating the existing reporting/editorial and distribution staff. This could save many of the jobs and continue to serve the readers.