The Youngstown Vindicator will cease production at the end of August, after more than a century in print and at a cost of 144 jobs.
Blaming poor advertising revenues and putting that blame squarely at the door of Facebook and Google, Youngstown Vindicator General Manager Mark Brown revealed that he had been trying to find a buyer for the paper since 2017.
Bertram de Souza, who has spent 40 years at the paper said; “I’m losing a part of what has been my life.
“Politically the Sunday before an election, when we were printing at midnight politicians and their campaign people, would line outside the old building to get the first newspaper off the press and see who we would endorse.”
Meanwhile, General Manager Brown told staff at local television station WFMJ, which is owned by the same company, that the closure of the Vindicator would not affect their operations.
“We have no plans, no intentions, no desire, no thoughts and no interest in selling WFMJ. Period.” Brown said.
Congressman Tim Ryan shared his disappointment at the news, saying on Twitter; “This is heartbreaking. The Vindicator has been a pillar in our community, and its reporters and staff have always been unwavering in their commitment to truth and transparency.”
Competing paper, The Business Journal, also released a statement on the news on Twitter, adding; “While @TheBizJournal competes with The Vindicator for advertising dollars — as it does with all news outlets in our coverage area — we take no joy in its pending demise. Through the decades, it has covered the region in outstanding fashion.”