Panama City News Herald printing plant to close; no changes to services or delivery
PANAMA CITY — Three years after The News Herald’s printing plant was rebuilt following the destruction from one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the United States, company consolidation is forcing its closure.
The newspaper’s parent company, Gannett, announced Thursday that all of The News Herald’s printing and packaging products will be moved from its building at 501 W. 11th St. in Panama City to sister facilities in Gainesville and Jackson, Miss. The printing press is set to cease operations in mid-January.
The news and advertising departments will remain at The News Herald office and no changes in delivery or quality in the newspapers are expected, said Lisa Nellessen Savage, executive editor of the Panama City News Herald, Pensacola News Journal and Northwest Florida Daily News.
However, all production employees involved with the printing plant will be impacted by the transition, which includes 31 full-time and 18 part-time workers.
“We remain committed to bringing our readers quality, impactful journalism that helps strengthen our communities,” Nellessen Savage said. “Our journalists and advertising partners are firmly rooted in our communities, and the printing facility closure doesn’t impact our mission and commitment.”
The closure comes amid similar consolidations in the newspaper industry in recent years.
According to Gannett, the consolidation is needed, given the level of duplicate printing capacity in the region. Gannett merged with GateHouse Media, the previous owner of The News Herald, about two years ago. As such, the company now has several printing facilities too close together in the state.
The consolidation also will free up revenue to invest more in journalism and new growth opportunities, the company states.
The Panama City press currently prints several USA TODAY Network newspapers. Printing of the Panama City News Herald and the Tallahassee Democrat will transition to Gainesville, while the Pensacola News Journal and Northwest Florida Daily News will transition to Jackson, Miss.
The announcement comes barely three years after Category 5 Hurricane Michael ripped through Bay County, destroyed The News Herald’s main office and tore the roof off the printing press’ building. The multi-million-dollar press barely survived Hurricane Michael in October 2018. With the roof gone, the press was totally exposed to the elements. Quick cleaning and protection measures, coupled with a temporary roof, saved the press and led to The News Herald printing its own papers again within just a few weeks after the storm.
A completely new office building for The News Herald staff was erected beside the printing press and was officially opened in 2020. The newsroom and advertising departments will remain in the new office building.
“Our print newspapers remain an incredible part of our journalism platform and even as we double down on expanding our growing digital audience, we will continue to provide the quality print newspaper our subscribers expect and deserve,” Nellessen Savage said.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City News Herald to close printing plant
