Newspaper Closures Rose to 170 Over Past Year
Rising production costs and ownership consolidation continue to pressure local media viability nationwide.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Media
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Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism reported that 170 newspapers closed or merged in the last year, further expanding the number of U.S. news deserts. The decline leaves nearly 47 million Americans in counties with no or only one local news source.
Why it matters
The erosion of local media outlets complicates community-level market awareness and advertising reach for operators. The trend is driven by operating costs for regional publishers rising significantly faster than broader inflation, coupled with succession failures at independent firms.
The 170 closures mark an increase from 136 the prior year, as 26 additional counties became news deserts. Meanwhile, the price of newsprint increased by approximately 18% over the same period, creating significant margin pressure.
The players
Medill School of Journalism
The academic division of Northwestern University that tracks journalism industry trends and newsroom viability.
Federal Communications Commission
The U.S. agency responsible for regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable.
The details
Closures have been most concentrated among smaller newspaper chains in Kansas and Illinois, often triggered by succession gaps when owners retire without successors. The sector faces a concentration trend where 10 companies now own two-thirds of daily newspapers and three-quarters of the country's 678 TV newsrooms. Small publishers are particularly vulnerable to these market forces due to razor-thin margins and rising input costs, with newsprint price hikes outpacing inflation by a factor of five.
Timeline
March 2026: FCC waived TV station ownership cap for Nexstar-Tegna merger.
October 2026: FCC officially eliminated the TV ownership cap.
Market Landscape
The consolidation of media assets follows the FCC's recent decision to eliminate the 39% television household ownership cap for single companies. This regulatory shift facilitates the expansion of large media groups even as thousands of local newspapers shutter across the country.
Operators should re-evaluate their local advertising and public relations strategies as regional news outlets continue to vanish. Monitor shifts in your local market's news coverage to identify which platforms remain effective for reaching the community.
The takeaway
The local news landscape is narrowing, placing a higher premium on alternative methods for tracking community trends and local policy changes. Business owners should diversify their information sources to maintain visibility into regional regulatory or economic developments.
Further reading
For broader trends in industry consolidation and market impact, see our coverage of Media.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Poynter.
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