As longtime Hutchinson, Litchfield papers close, 2 newspapers launch to take their place

LITCHFIELD, Minn. — Two west-central communities mourned the loss of their newspapers this week as the final editions of the Hutchinson Leader and Litchfield Independent Review arrived in mailboxes and on newsstands around town for the final time.

But almost as quickly as the news of the closures spread came the pledge by a different company to take up the mantle of delivering local news.

Earlier this month, MediaNews Group announced the sister papers in Hutchinson and Litchfield would shut down by the end of the month, along with six weekly papers in the southwest metro: the Shakopee Valley News, Prior Lake American, Jordan Independent, Chaska Herald, Chanhassen Villager and Savage Pacer.

The Crow River Press printing business in Hutchinson is also closing. In total, it’s estimated more than 40 people are losing their jobs. The papers are run by a Denver-based company owned by hedge fund Alden Global Capital, which is known for laying off journalists and slashing costs at its roughly 200 newspapers, some of which have closed.

On Friday, the New Jersey-based publisher CherryRoad Media announced it will open newspapers — the Hutchinson Station and the Litchfield Rail — in both communities with first editions targeted for May 9.

“We are in the business of serving communities like Hutchinson and Litchfield,” said Jeremy Gulban, CherryRoad chief executive, in a release. “When we heard these communities would lose their papers, we quickly reacted. We don’t want to see these towns, and their citizens, fall into another news desert. Too many small towns across this country have faced that prospect in recent years.”

CherryRoad Media bills itself as the nation’s fastest growing newspaper company. It operates more than 80 newspapers in 18 states, including 10 community journalism operations and a printing plant in Minnesota. That includes the Rainy Lake Gazette, which opened in 2021 after the 110-year-old International Falls Journal closed. It’s now one of CherryRoad’s most successful papers.

Lee Bachlet, CherryRoad’s chief operating officer, said Friday the company worked quickly to get the Hutchinson and Litchfield endeavors going because they are closer to existing company properties — but didn’t count out future possibilities in the other metro cities losing papers.

“CherryRoad is open to all possibilities, and we have been asked about other impacted communities,” he said. “I can’t say today what, if anything, the future holds for us there.”

Brent Schacherer, editor and general manager of the Hutchinson Leader and Litchfield Independent Review, will lead the new papers.

“Community newspapers play such a vital role in keeping residents informed and engaged,” he said. “I am excited to be a part of this effort to bring a local news source back to Hutchinson and Litchfield.”

Still, residents are sad to see the Leader and Independent Review extinguished after a combined history of nearly 300 years.

“A very sad day as I read my last paper today,” Litchfield resident Bev Barrett said Wednesday at a gathering for former newspaper employees.

Barrett, a retired family and consumer sciences teacher, had curated easy-to-make recipes in the Independent Review for more than two decades. Through her “Baking with Bev” column, she shared thousands of recipes with readers. She was also a subscriber.

“I look forward to it every Wednesday. If I don’t get the paper, I call the post office,” she said with a laugh. “Having it in your hand every week was wonderful.”

Litchfield, which has about 6,600 residents, is about 40 miles south of St. Cloud and is the Meeker County seat. Hutchinson, which has about 14,600 residents, is the largest city in McLeod County. It’s about 20 miles south of Litchfield and about 60 miles west of Minneapolis.

A story published by the Independent Review earlier this month said the papers have been challenged by changing lifestyle habits and the shift in advertising revenue from local print publications to digital options. The pandemic also took a significant toll, with advertising revenue falling 25% to 50%.

It’s a trend seen across the country: By the end of this year, the U.S. will have lost a third of its newspapers since 2005, with more than two newspapers continuing to vanish every week. Nearly two-thirds of the nation’s journalists have also vanished since that time, according to the Medill School of Journalism.

“This has been, in many ways, a real strong reminder of the importance of local news to the people who live in these communities,” said Doug Hanneman, who was editor of the Hutchinson Leader for 17 years before retiring six years ago. “I mean, it’s a harsh reminder when the paper’s owners announce they’re going to close up. But it doesn’t mean something new can’t come around.”

Hanneman said Wednesday he’s had heard from dozens of residents over the past few weeks asking how they’ll get their local coupons, where obituaries will be printed and how they’ll be able to keep tabs on the City Council or School Board.

“Small towns and their relationship with newspapers is so unique,” he said. “When your photo or your name was in the paper for something you did on the ballfield or in the classroom, it was a celebration — and it would end up on the refrigerator. And you don’t find that in larger daily papers or in the big metro papers.”