INDReporter

Opelousas daily going to three-day distribution

That’s according to an Alexandria TV station, which also says the paper there and a third Gannett daily in Hattiesburg, Miss., are paring down to three days per week.

Image taken from the internet, which is killing newspapers.

KALB, an Alexandria TV station, is reporting that three Gannett newspapers — The Town Talk in Alexandria, Daily World in Opelousas and The Hattiesburg (Miss.) American — will cut publication to three days per week as a cost-cutting measure by the media giant.

Citing sources close to the announcement, the TV station reports staff at The Town Talk were told Wednesday morning of the change. The station reports that last year The Town Talk lost its general manager, news director and a longtime reporter, and that a robust newsroom staff of 53 as recently as 2005 has been reduced to just a dozen.

The new publication schedule will be Sunday, Wednesday and Friday — in line with a similar move by New Orleans’ Times-Picayune in 2012, which was met with widespread condemnation by readers as well as The Advocate’s decision to beef up its Crescent City bureau and offer a daily New Orleans Advocate.

The Town Talk’s news director offered a “no comment” when reached by the TV station.