After 23 years, the Deh Cho Drum, a weekly publication covering communities in the Dehcho region, has ‘suspended’ its publication.
The paper’s publisher, Northern News Services, made the announcement Wednesday afternoon on their Facebook page ahead of the paper’s Thursday edition.
‘End of an era!’ the pose read. A large ‘thank you readers’ was splashed across the paper’s final front cover, marking their 1,154th edition.
Northern News Services declined an interview prior to the drum’s final issue.
In the paper, general manager Mike Scott said that the “declining advertising revenue and shipping costs in a small market have made the publication of the Deh Cho Drum untenable.”
The Deh Cho Drum started publishing in August 1994. Northern News Services says that their other papers will step in to fill the gap.
For editor April Hudson, the departure comes as ‘bittersweet’.
In a column in the paper, she thanked their readers for the continued support.
“As far as the loss of this paper goes, we are always worse off when news goes under,” she said.
“Although News/North will step in to fill the gap, there will still be many stories left unwritten within the Deh Cho region. It is up to all of you to see that the people who deserve recognition are recognized, and the people who need to be held to account are indeed held accountable.
“In the meantime, don’t forget to celebrate each other’s successes and sing each other’s praises.”
