Star-Ledger will stop publishing a print newspaper and close its production facility in Montville in February 2025. The decision was made by Star-Ledger owner Newark Morning Ledger Co. due to rising costs, declining circulation and reduced printing demand. .

Additionally, Advance Local, owner of NJ Advance Media and New Jersey.comannounced that it will end print publication of the daily newspapers The Times of Trenton and South Jersey Times, as well as the weekly Hunterdon County Democrat. Online newspapers for The book of stars,The Trenton Times and South Jersey Times will continue to be produced seven days a week for subscribers. The online newspaper offers subscribers more than 10 exclusive daily pages of additional local and national content not found in the current print newspaper.

The final print editions of the Star-Ledger, Times of Trenton and South Jersey Times will be published on February 2, 2025. The final weekly print edition of the Hunterdon County Democrat will be published on January 30, 2025, and its subscribers will have access to the newspaper online Star-Ledger.

“Today’s announcement represents the next step toward the digital future of journalism in New Jersey,” said Steve Alessi, president of NJ Advance Media. “It is important to emphasize that this is a forward-thinking decision that allows us to invest more deeply than ever in our journalism and in serving our communities.”

Alessi said the cessation of print publishing will allow NJ Advance Media to reallocate resources to strengthen its main newsroom. He said the newsroom has more reporters than it did a year ago and plans to continue growing in 2025 as the organization looks to bolster reporting in areas of the state that previously did not have enough coverage.

NJ Advance Media journalists will continue to produce content that appears onNew Jersey.comas well as in the online newspapers of the The book of stars,The Trenton Times and South Jersey Times.

When evaluating the health of the company’s newsroom, Alessi highlighted an extraordinary journalistic career in the last year and the recognition of prestigious national organizations, including the Punch Sulzberger Innovator of the Year Award for journalist Adam Clark from the Poynter Journalism Awards, and two Sigma Delta Chi awards for Spencer Kent’s feature article “The Stranger in the Mirror” and a portfolio of sports columns by Steve Politi.

He also highlighted the efforts of investigative and watchdog journalism, such as Matthew Stanmyre’s continued reporting on Financial Mismanagement of New Jersey Charter Schoolswhich has resulted in the removal of several school leaders from their positions, the reduction of salaries of others and the promise of state legislators to initiate hearings on the issue.

Additionally, Alessi cited numerous innovation efforts, including the company’s true crime podcasts. “In the shadow of Princeton” and “Father wants us dead” by Webby Award-winning podcaster Rebecca Everett; a set of recently launched newsletters focused on politics, food and culture; and the mosaic website dedicated to diverse New Jersey communities, as examples of the newsroom’s efforts to reach beyond its traditional audience and invite new users to join.

Alessi said: “As an organisation, we have vigorously embraced the digital world and all its potential to reach new audiences and deliver value, reaching audiences on podcasts, through TikTok and Instagram, even in WhatsApp message groups. “We will continue to invest in the digital future and in cutting-edge technologies that can enrich the quality of our journalism and deliver more timely and frequent news to our users.”

In August, the most recent month for which data is available, NJ.com ranked as the No. 1 local news site in the country, according to Comscore, a media measurement and analytics company. That month, the site had 15.2 million unique visitors, putting it even ahead of national news brands like Wired, The Atlantic and Slate in the Comscore rankings.

“This is a healthy, strong and dedicated newsroom that is perfectly positioned to sustain and grow in a notoriously challenging industry,” Alessi said.

In light of the closing of the Montville plant, with which it has a contract to print its newspaper, and as it faces its own financial challenges, the Hudson County-based Jersey Journal also announced it will stop publishing . Its final print edition will be published on February 1, 2025. The Jersey Journal is owned by the Evening Journal Association.

Star-Ledger leaders acknowledged that the changes will have a significant impact on the company’s current employees, as well as devoted readers of the company’s print products.

But, they said, the shift in reader habits from print to digital is in line with national trends in consumption and behavior. So far in 2024, the Star-Ledger’s print circulation is down 21% over the past year.

In recent years, newspaper production and distribution costs have skyrocketed. At the same time, a record number of users are now accessing news and information digitally from countless platforms, including websites, online newspapers and newsletters.

“This decision was not made lightly, but the reality is that the print news model cannot be sustained,” said Wes Turner, an executive who works with The Star-Ledger.

Turner said the company would provide affected employees with generous severance packages and transition assistance.

Alessi emphasized that the end of NJ Advance Media’s print newspapers and the decisions by The Star-Ledger and Jersey Journal to also stop publishing in print do not mean that readers and subscribers in New Jersey will be abandoned; quite the opposite, he said.

“On any day, you can visit NJ.com or access our online newspaper and discover dynamic and insightful work,” Alessi said. “Whether it be ‘Extreme Project’ a series exposing pockets of disturbing political extremism emerging across the state, or our award-winning examination of The deadly Newark Harbor fire in 2023 and how it could have been avoided, or our abundance of delightful, deeply informed service journalism celebrating New Jersey’s success. best pizza either bagels.

“Our journalists are in the field, in our communities, removing stones and shedding light on essential issues,” he said. “We believe the future of journalism in New Jersey and our newsroom is very healthy.”