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L/FOG Temp: 35 °F Wind: W at 3 mph Sunday, December 8, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 23, 2002 Lack of ads sinks Central Point Sun The free publication lasted 13 months and is the second paper to fold in two years By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — For the second time in less than two years, this town will lose its newspaper. Owner and Publisher Dave Ehrhardt on Friday said a lack of advertisers forced him to halt production of his free weekly newspaper, the Central Point Sun. The last issue was distributed Nov. 6. "There just wasn’t enough support," Ehrhardt said. "We gave it 13 months and tried a lot of things." The Central Point Sun began in October 2001, at the request of the Central Point Chamber of Commerce after the city’s previous publication, The Central Point Times, folded. The Central Point Sun was a tabloid-sized paper that included city news and community issues. The newspaper also covered news from Jackson County School District 6, which included Gold Hill and Sams Valley. The paper cost $16 per year or 50 cents at the newsstands, and began with a paid circulation of 1,200, Ehrhardt said. Ehrhardt said that the paper’s policy was to donate $4 from every paid subscription to charities, including local civic organizations, the school district or the city’s parks department. In October, the paper increased its circulation to 3,000 and became a free publication at the request of its advertisers. Ehrhardt also owns and publishes The Rogue River Press, a weekly publication with a paid circulation of 2,000. He said operating costs and the subsequent closure of the Central Point Sun hasn’t affected the Rogue River Press. Prior to the Sun’s closure, the Central Point Times, a former sister paper of the Grants Pass Daily Courier, folded in May 2001. The paper originally began in 1985 under the name Central Valley Times. The weekly newspaper was overhauled in 1999 and renamed the Central Point Times. At that time, news coverage included Central Point, Gold Hill, Sams Valley, White City, Jacksonville and Eagle Point. Prior to its closure, the Times had a free circulation of 12,000. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S