The Messenger (Mount Airy, North Carolina)
Encyclopedia
The Messenger was a U.S. newspaper
published Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Mount Airy, North Carolina
. It was delivered free to homes in the Surry County
area.
The Messenger began as a weekday broadsheet
whose first edition was printed on July 9, 2007, after the purchase of the The Mount Airy News and Elkin's
The Tribune
by Heartland Publications, LLC. Several staffers, including the publishers of both The News and The Tribune, left their respective newspapers to launch The Messenger as a community newspaper
for the area. Combined, the publisher, Michael Milligan, and editor, Rebel Good, have more than 75 years of experience in community journalism and between them have published more than 10 newspapers and magazines.
In January 2009, the paper cut back production to three days per week and switched from broadsheet to tabloid format due to a tough economic market
.
In July 2009, a lawsuit filed by Heartland LLC against The Messenger's owners and principals was dismissed without prejudice in Surry Superior Court.
On January 3, 2010, the paper ceased publications with no notification in their last issue, and closed all its operations shortly thereafter. After the community learned that the paper had closed, it was eventually reported that there were several reasons for the closing, but the continuing recession was a primary factor in their decision.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,388.-History:Mount Airy was settled in the 1750s as a stagecoach stop on the road between Winston-Salem and Galax, Virginia. It was named for a nearby plantation...
. It was delivered free to homes in the Surry County
Surry County, North Carolina
Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 73,673. Its county seat is Dobson.- History :The county was formed in 1771 from Rowan County...
area.
The Messenger began as a weekday broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
whose first edition was printed on July 9, 2007, after the purchase of the The Mount Airy News and Elkin's
Elkin, North Carolina
Elkin is a town in Surry and Wilkes counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, along the Yadkin River. Elkin shares its name with the surrounding township of Elkin Township...
The Tribune
The Tribune (Elkin, North Carolina)
The Tribune is a tri-weekly newspaper published in Elkin, North Carolina. It has covered the tri-county area of Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties since 1911. The Tribune has an average paid circulation of about 3,000.-Overview:...
by Heartland Publications, LLC. Several staffers, including the publishers of both The News and The Tribune, left their respective newspapers to launch The Messenger as a community newspaper
Community journalism
Community journalism is locally oriented, professional news coverage that typically focuses on city neighborhoods, individual suburbs or small towns, rather than metropolitan, state, national or world news....
for the area. Combined, the publisher, Michael Milligan, and editor, Rebel Good, have more than 75 years of experience in community journalism and between them have published more than 10 newspapers and magazines.
In January 2009, the paper cut back production to three days per week and switched from broadsheet to tabloid format due to a tough economic market
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
.
In July 2009, a lawsuit filed by Heartland LLC against The Messenger's owners and principals was dismissed without prejudice in Surry Superior Court.
On January 3, 2010, the paper ceased publications with no notification in their last issue, and closed all its operations shortly thereafter. After the community learned that the paper had closed, it was eventually reported that there were several reasons for the closing, but the continuing recession was a primary factor in their decision.