The front page of the Herald-Times for Monday, January 28. The H-T was bought by GateHouse Media in January from Schurz Communications. (WFIU/WTIU News)
Noon Edition airs on Fridays at noon on WFIU.
Early in August, Gannett and GateHouse, two of the largest newspaper companies in the country, agreed to merge.
This would create the largest newspaper company in the country, followed by Digital First Media.
With the decline of print journalism, combining the companies would allow them to cut costs while going through the expensive process of improving digital news production.
But journalists fear the consolidation means more remotely-produced stories, which could mean local layoffs.
A study done by the University of North Carolina says nearly 1,800 local newspapers have shut down since 2004. The Pew Research Center says newsroom employment in the U.S. has declined by about a quarter since 2008.
This week, we’re discussing the merger of GateHouse and Gannett and the future of local journalism.
You can follow us on Twitter @NoonEdition or join us on the air by calling in at 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send us questions for the show at news@indianapublicmedia.org.
Our guests
Jim Shanahan, dean of The Media School at IU
Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies
Max Jones, editor of the Tribune-Star