The paper no longer a daily – Despite a huge hue and cry from the public, not to mention rallies, fundraisers, concerts, and even threats, the Times-Picayune ended a 175-year tradition: printing a daily newspaper.
(See the No.3 Story of the Year)
With the decision to end the daily printed paper and the T-P’s move to a more digitally focused 
business model, dozens of folks lost their jobs on Howard Avenue (WWL-TV was lucky enough to land two reporters, David Hammer and Brendan McCarthy, who left during the shakeup), and New Orleans lost a voice. Although just a daily printed voice, the end of the daily paper was an emotional experience for many.
“I think they’ve torn apart an institution," said Katy Reckdahl, a reporter let go in the change. "It’s not about me really. It’s about who I’m seeing walk out that door crying. It’s the end of news in New Orleans, I think."
Management claimed that eroding readership and a shifting business model demanded the difficult moves. New Orleans wasn’t alone, however, as Advance Publications, the parent company that owns the T-P, restructured the Times-Picayune along with several other papers the company owned in Alabama.
With the demise of the daily, New Orleans became the largest city in America without a daily newspaper (That appears short-lived as The Cleveland Plain Dealer looks to be headed to a similar fate under the Newhouse plan). The Baton Rouge-based Advocate quickly stepped into the void created by the Picayune’s departure from printing a daily and opened a bureau in New Orleans to offer a daily paper of their own.
-- Michael Luke --
Related stories:
- Former and current Times-Picayune staffers bid farewell to daily paper
- Newspaper wars: Times-Picayune, Advocate to battle for readership
- 'I think they've torn apart an institution'
- Newhouse: "There's every reason to be upset and angry" about Times-Picayune changes
