THE Singleton Argus, which was founded in 1874, and dozens of other Australian Community Media (ACM) newspapers across the country will stop printing until at least the end of June as the company faces a drop in advertising revenue.
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ACM said in an announcement to staff on Tuesday that it was temporarily closing four printing presses, including Tamworth, and "a number of" publications, but its 14 daily titles, including the Newcastle Herald, would stay open.
The popular Town and Country will continue to publish, however the Argus, Hunter Valley News, Muswellbrook Chronicle and Scone Advocate will temporarily close.
ACM told staff at the Upper Hunter sites they would be temporarily shut from Monday, April 20, until June 29, when management would reassess their future.
At this stage, it is understood they will resume regular schedule following that date.
The affected mastheads will continue to have websites, but these will be propagated by shared regional content.
In a message emailed to staff on Tuesday, ACM executive chairman Antony Catalano said the company had been "working tirelessly to try to maintain a full level of services and meet the needs of our team members, customers and the community".
But the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the economy had "affected significantly" ACM's revenue from advertising and printing contracts.
"Regrettably, this means that for some of our employees across the business there will be no useful work available, and they will be stood down from work in accordance with the provisions of the Fair Work Act," Mr Catalano said.
ACM has given notice to the landlords of more than 30 small offices around the country, including at Muswellbrook, that it intends to exit lease arrangements to reduce rental costs across the business.
