Laurel (Miss.) Leader-Call ceasing publication

Does that mean that we will see a whole slug of small town dailies move back to weekly? I think the Laurel closing is probably the tip of the iceberg.

 

Every market is different. Some will. Some won't.

 

We do too (within reason), and we're not that much bigger than Laurel. Whatever gets 'em to drop two quarters on the counter, man.

 

I guess I'm stunned because not so long ago, Laurel had a good product and as far as I knew, was making money. And I'm talking within the last five years.

 

We don't. We run every single one of those, plus all of the dead deer/dead turkey/big ole bass pictures that you could shake a stick at. It's local and people eat it up like 5-hour energy at a truck stop, so...

 

Is this the first death in Laurel not caused by the giant curve on I-59?

 

They actually kinda straightened that thing out a couple of years ago. Still not a good idea to blow through there at 70, but it's not quite the death trap it used to be.

 

From what I heard, Laurel was still making money, just "not enough."

 

Amazingly, this story is going to have a very happy ending.
Emmerich has announced it's going to create a start-up paper in Laurel beginning April 15, and will hire all of the Leader-Call's staff.
Story says Emmerich wanted to buy the Leader-Call, but couldn't for various legal reasons, so it's starting a new paper called The Chronicle. It'll publish three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120331/BIZ/120331016/Start-up-newspaper-announced-Laurel

 

Wyatt Emmerich has a vision and Laurel is a perfect fit for his Mississippi empire.

 

This is probably the best possible scenario to make money. If he buys the paper and cuts the print schedule to three days a week he's vilified in the community. This way he looks like a savior.

 

Even if his columns meander more than the Mississippi River north of Vicksburg. He does have a vision. I'm glad that there will be some sort of replacement for the Leader-Call in Laurel.