Pink Paper stops the presses

Writing on the Pink Paper website, Editor Tris Reid-Smith said: “As a free newspaper, Pink Paper relies almost entirely on advertising income. This time last year it was a very successful business but since then organisations have slashed their spend on print advertising, meaning the paper has been unable to cover its costs.”

He continues, “We were particularly vulnerable as we were largely reliant on property and recruitment adverts, two of the sectors worse-hit by the global financial meltdown.”

Launched in 1987, the Pink Paper in its current form was acquired by Millivres Prowler Group (publishers of Gay Times and DIVA) in 2005 after a failed attempt to launch the title as a weekly news magazine.

Kim Watson, MPG Media Director, said today: “The decision to suspend fortnightly print and distribution of Pink Paper has been one of the toughest we have had to make in a long, time but in order to ensure that we can continue providing a service to the LGBT community in future we have taken the decision now, rather than when the situation has worsened to a point that we would need to cease Pink Paper all together. We are looking forward to increasing delivery of our weekly newsletter and ensuring that our website continues to grow in its visitors and interaction. We are also glad to announce that all existing staff will remain with the company to work on Pink Paper online and our other titles.”

Offering some hope for the future of the print title, Tris also added, “The publishers hope to start printing the newspaper again when the economy recovers and the advertising market improves..”

The Lesbian and Gay Foundation’s own title outnorthwest has also been hit by the financial crisis recently, which has seen a reduction in page count and frequency. outnorthwest Editor Grahame Robertson said today: “It’s a very sad day for the pink press. The Pink Paper has been a trusted and reliable source of news and information for a huge number of LGBT people, and it will genuinely be missed. I hope it’s not too long before we see it back on shelves and bar tops across the country.”