The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will remain in operation after a nonprofit journalism organization reached an agreement to buy the newspaper’s assets just weeks before its scheduled closure.
The newspaper announced Tuesday that the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, publisher of the digital Baltimore Banner, will acquire the struggling publication from Block Communications. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The agreement ends months of uncertainty surrounding one of Pennsylvania’s oldest news organizations. The Post-Gazette, whose roots trace to 1786, had been scheduled to close May 3. Its shutdown would have left Pittsburgh as the largest U.S. city without a locally based daily newspaper.
Under the new ownership, the Post-Gazette said it plans to continue publishing print editions on Thursdays and Sundays, while maintaining a website on the other days.
Bob Cohn, chief executive officer of the Venetoulis Institute, said the organization plans to work with journalists and civic leaders to build a sustainable future for local journalism in western Pennsylvania.
The institute launched the Baltimore Banner in 2022. Despite operating in a difficult media climate, the Banner has grown to about 79,500 paid subscribers and has already earned a Pulitzer Prize.
The Post-Gazette also won a Pulitzer Prize in 2019 for its coverage of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. Former executive editor David Shribman, who led the paper from 2003 to 2019, has been appointed to the Venetoulis board of directors.
The sale comes after years of financial pressure and labor disputes at the Post-Gazette. Block Communications announced plans in January to close the newspaper on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the company’s appeal in a lawsuit involving health benefits for former striking workers.
Reaction in Pittsburgh was largely positive, though some uncertainty remains about staffing levels and future investment.
Longtime Post-Gazette photographer Steve Mellon said employees had feared the paper might be sold to a hedge fund rather than a nonprofit focused on community journalism. He said questions remain about how many current workers will stay under new ownership.
Source: PBS