It is with great sadness that I learned my local paper The Lincolnshire Echo is to move to new, smaller premises.
This once great giant of a community paper has suffered like many others in the recession after a proud history that spans back to 1893 when the paper was first published by a local businessman.
It used to employ some 2000 people at it's height but then Northcliffe Newspapers which owns it began a huge cost slashing exercise back in 2005 because it was not making as big a profit as its competitors. Many loyal staff have been made redundant and the printing press has been closed. For someone like me who did my training there, and felt an affinity with the community I served as a local reporter, this move is a tragedy.
All that will remain will be skeleton staff who won't really have much more time than to rewrite press releases and take stories from calls that come in or put together words to go with photos that have been taken.
Of course the Echo is telling it's readers that it is busines as usual. It will never be again. I'm mortified. I really used to love that paper which is merely a shadow of its former self.
Read the tragic news here :http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/news/Echo-offices-new-city-home/article-1385041-detail/article.html