L.A. Times Closes Three Newspapers in Valley Region

The Los Angeles Times will close three community newspapers in the Valley region because of advertising declines during the coronavirus outbreak. The final editions of the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader will be on Saturday, while the weekly La Cañada Valley Sun will cease publication after its April 23 issue. In a letter to readers posted Thursday at the papers’ websites, management said closing them was a difficult business decision compounded by the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. “The three titles, while journalistically sound, are operating at significant losses,” the letter said. Fourteen staffers have been laid off with severance from the three papers. The job losses affect members of the Los Angeles Times Guild, as well as managers, the letter said. The Los Angeles Times purchased the News-Press and Leader in 1993, and the Valley Sun in 2005. The papers became part of the Times Community News division and were inserted into The Times and distributed for free at area businesses and in newspaper racks, according to the letter. The News-Press dates back to 1905, while the Leader was a successor paper to the Burbank Daily Review, which started in 1908. The Sun was founded in 1946. Congressman Adam Schiff, whose district includes Burbank, issued a statement through Facebook about the closing of his hometown newspaper. “I have read these papers for decades and had the privilege of working with many of their reporters and editors,” Schiff said in the statement. “And while I’m sure I took issue with some of their articles from time to time – as it should be – I never once doubted their skill and professionalism, or their passion for serving our community. Whether it was uncovering wrong-doing or profiling one of our amazing residents or documenting our community coming together, you could be certain these papers would be there.” The two remaining Times Community News publications, the Daily Pilot and TimesOC, will continue publishing in Orange County.