Three of Georgia’s daily newspapers are now owned by a New York-based publishing company.
Morris Communications announced earlier this year it would sell 11 of its newspapers to Gatehouse Media, including The Augusta Chronicle, The Athens-Banner Herald and The Savannah Morning News.
Keith Herndon, professor of practice at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, said consolidation has been the trend for local newspapers to reduce overhead.
“If you consolidate a chain, you can eliminate some headquarter staff, you can eliminate financial staff,” Herndon said. “You can consolidate printing operations, you can consolidate other production operations, and so that labor savings is driving the industry’s consolidation in the face of declining revenue.”
