It’s no secret that the newspaper industry across the country has been facing challenges for the past few years. Falling subscriptions and ad dollars have been attributed to the internet and the current way that many of us consume news and information. Why wait for a morning newspaper when instant info is available 24-7 right on our phones?
The Billings Gazette (a Lee Enterprises company) has not been immune to the changes in the print industry. According to a press release, Billings Gazette staff has fallen from 50 employees to around 25 in the past two decades. Their humongous building on the corner of 27th and 4th Ave is now mostly empty. Their editor and editorial page writer were both recently laid-off and the in-house accounting and bookkeeping staff were eliminated.