Will Intell / New Era follow Detroit model?

According to a Dec. 16 posting on the Detroit News web site, Detroit's morning and evening newspapers will publish on alternate days, Monday through Saturday, thus reducing production and distribution costs for both.

They will also push their online editions.

David Hunke, Free Press publisher, is quoted as saying "We're fighting for our survival."

Over the past decades, most evening newspapers have been discontinued. Old timers will remember the slogan "In Philadelphia, almost everyone reads the Bulletin."

Unlike the Detroit situation, the Sunday News, the morning Intelligencer Journal and the evening New Era are all owned by Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. On Saturdays and certain holidays, the Intell and New Era run a combined edition. There has been speculation that the time clock is running for the New Era.

The Detroit model may better suit Lancaster which is increasingly divided between liberals and conservatives, with Democrat voter registration likely to approach Republican within a decade.

The story can be found at http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/18288845/detail.html .