As expected, the Connecticut News Consortium board has voted to cease operations of the monthly broadsheet known as the Winsted Citizen.
The paper was started at the beginning of this year with initial funding from consumer advocate Ralph Nader and led by editor and publisher Andy Thibault. A staff memo from Thibault said, “the paper continued to run an untenable deficit,” despite increases in both circulation and advertising revenue.
After initial funding expired in February, the paper was placed under the management of the News Consortium.
“We beat the Grim Reaper every month for most of the year,” Thibault added in his memo to staff. “Our best month financially resulted in our lowest deficit. Now, our quest regrettably has become the impossible dream. It sure was great – despite numerous stumbles, obstacles and heartaches – while it lasted.”
The Consortium board has directed its legal counsel to determine next steps.
Thibault recruited several veteran and some fledgling journalists to staff the Citizen, but by the end of its run most were working on a volunteer basis.
