Wicklow Times Stops The Presses

Nothing to report here…

iving truth to the fear that you can’t even give newspapers away these days, the founder of The Wicklow Times has said he’s winding up its operations.

Running for almost 40 years, The Wicklow Times could now be the last of the free newspapers being delivered in people’s letterboxes around the county.

A sign of the times, when just about everyone gets their news through their phones, the failure of The Wicklow Times to make a true leap online no doubt played a part in its demise.

Stated founder and managing editor Shay Fitzmaurice today, ‘After 40 years of service, Wicklow Times will cease trading under its current ownership, effective immediately.

‘This has been an incredibly difficult decision, driven primarily by ongoing health challenges and my family’s and medical consultants’ insistence that I immediately take the necessary time to rest and recuperate.

‘Beyond the personal, the trading environment for independent local media has become increasingly difficult. Between escalating energy, transport, printing and distribution costs and the redirection of government advertising away from local titles toward online platforms and the two large, foreign-owned regional media groups, the path forward for a truly local independent paper has been eroded.

The last issue…

“Whether a new owner or operator can be found for Wicklow Times remains to be seen, but we remain open to any and all proposals to continue this title and will consider them seriously.

‘To our loyal staff, many of whom have been with us for over 30 years, you have been the heart of this paper. To our advertisers and local authorities, thank you for your support through the decades. It has been an honour to serve this community, even through the many and increasing number of weeks when we struggled to deliver papers in the torrential rain,” he concluded.

Founded 10 years after its nearest rival, The Bray People, Shay’s free weekly newspaper first hit our streets in 1988, going on to claim the largest circulation in the county, with, it said, 44,500 copies delivered to homes and businesses. Originally called The North Wicklow Times, the name change came with a jump to nationwide distribution.

It was back in 2013 that the Bray & District Chamber Endeavour Awards bestowed upon Fitzmaurice the Outstanding Small Business award for The Wicklow Times.