HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — If you're a fan of the print edition of the Huntsville Times, you only have a few more months to hold it in your hands and read it. Alabama Media Group, which publishes Huntsville Times, Birmingham News, Mobile Press-Register and Mississippi Press, announced that it is moving to digital-only in February 2023.
The last print editions of the papers will come out on Sunday, February 26, 2023. Subscribers will continue to receive The Lede, a 7-day-a-week e-edition that reports on each city. Alabama Media Group already has a large online news presence with AL.com, The Alabama Education Lab, This is Alabama, People of Alabama and the Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile editions of The Lede.
In a story published by al.com on November 3, 2022, Alabama Media Group president Tom Bates said, "Our commitment to local reporting in the state’s three largest cities remains unrivaled. And we are investing in efforts to deepen our local coverage, adding more journalists and creating a new team of city-focused investigative reporters."
The reason for the change? According to Bates, "How our readers want their news and information today is changing. Newsprint is no longer the format of choice for most. We now have an average of 11 million monthly visitors to AL.com and more than 3.4 million followers across social media platforms – where we can tell stories in real time, and in video and podcasts, not just text. We have more than 20 newsletters -- with more to come -- built for specific readers, including those looking for news about Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile."
In 2012, the Alabama newspapers in Mobile, Birmingham and Huntsville reduced their frequency from daily to three days a week and reduced staff sizes across the state.
