Marion Times newspaper shutting down

MARION — The last issue of the Marion Times hit newsstands Thursday.

In a letter to readers and advertisers, Bob Woodward of Woodward Communications, which publishes the Times, announced the weekly newspaper is shutting down.

“It is with mixed feelings that I share the news that we are discontinuing publication of the Marion Times,” he said. “We will also be discontinuing the Marion Today monthly publication.”

Woodward said websites like Facebook, Google and Amazon have had direct, negative effects on newspaper revenue.

“The reality is that the Times has been losing money for quite some time and does not have enough subscriber and advertising support to make it sustainable,” he said.

Woodward also cited Marion’s location as one of the reasons for the closure.

“Marion’s proximity to Cedar Rapids, being contiguous and to some, almost synonymous with Cedar Rapids and the other contiguous communities, make the need for a separate newspaper a question mark,” he said.

The company will continue to publish its other papers, including the Anamosa Journal-Eureka, Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun and the North Liberty Leader.

“To be clear, we believe wholeheartedly in the need for local community journalism,” Woodward said. “We are actively investing in community media in locations … where we feel it is sustainable and regret that we couldn’t make the Marion Times reach that goal.”

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