Rockland-based newspaper publisher Village NetMedia has closed its printing plant in the Rockland Industrial Park and laid off 17 of its 71 employees.
Starting today, the company’s four newspapers – The Herald Gazette of Camden-Rockland, The Republican Journal of Belfast, The Bar Harbor Times and the Capital Weekly of Augusta — will be printed in Lewiston by the Sun Journal Media Group.
CEO Richard M. Anderson said the Sun Journal’s equipment is more advanced and efficient than Village NetMedia’s presses, which are more than 40 years old and need costly repairs.
He said the move will reduce Village NetMedia’s printing expenses and help the company compete in a changing media environment.
“We can all image (that) in the future there won’t be dramatically more content printed on paper. It was the best economic decision to not reinvest (in the presses),” he said.
With the closure of the printing plant, the company laid off 15 full-time and two part-time employees. Two staffers have accepted other jobs in the company, Anderson said.
Laid-off workers will receive severance pay, and Village NetMedia is working with the Maine JobBank CareerCenter to provide former employees with retraining and help in finding new jobs.
“This is a very dedicated and capable staff. Our decision has no relationship to the quality of their work. They have worked expertly to keep the machines running at the highest possible quality,” said Anderson in a press release.
Village NetMedia was founded in 1997 by Anderson and his son, and acquired the printing press and six newspapers with the purchase of Courier Publications in 2008.
Staff Writer Jonathan Hemmerdinger can be contacted at 791-6316 or at: jhemmerdinger@pressherald.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
