Update on Newspaper Availability

The local paper wasn't the only newspaper affected by the change in ownership at the News-Gazette last month. National papers that used to be delivered by the same service have yet to find a new delivery service option. WILL had an earlier explanation of the issue:

National newspapers are now harder to find in Champaign-Urbana. The local paper, the News-Gazette, stopped delivering those papers to homes and newsstands earlier this month...

But the News-Gazette, which has distributed the Times and three other national newspapers in Champaign-Urbana since taking over from the defunct C-U News Agency in 2015, is no longer doing so. James Berbutes, circulation director for the Community Media Group, says they dropped the distribution contract when they took over the paper in early November. Under the contract, the News-Gazette had been distributing the New York Times, USA Today and the USA Today Sports Weekly, the Chicago Tribune and the Wall Street Journal and its sister publication Barron’s. The News-Gazette’s new publisher, Paul Barrett, did not respond to a request for comment...

The halt in distribution has also affected the Urbana Free Library and Champaign Public Library and their patrons. Champaign Public Library Adult Services Manager Tricia Duzan says “there have been frustrations expressed” by patrons who came to the library regularly to read the Times, Journal, Tribune and USA Today.

That full article here. The Champaign Public Library appears to be in the same situation as it was last month when it first issued this notice to patrons:

We are now receiving the Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY again, starting today. They are being delivered with the day’s mail rather than before the library opens. We will work at getting them on the shelves as soon as possible. (Thank you, US Postal Service!)

The Chicago Tribune is not delivering in our area at this time. We are trying to find a way to continue to carry it, but don’t have a solution yet.

We do have The New York Times on our shelves—we have a subscription that comes in the mail several days after publication (the Metro edition). Until a new same-day delivery service is available in our area, we will not be receiving The New York Times on the day of publication.

In the meantime, you can read newspapers for free online using your library card.

That notice is available in full here.

A few days ago, Tom's Mailbag answered a couple questions on this issue with an update that things still haven't improved much for folks looking for a physical paper:

The outlook isn’t good for the return of daily home delivery of national/regional newspapers like the Chicago Tribune, New York Times and USA Today — unless an entrepreneur steps up to resume the business.

Bob Cicone, the circulation director at The News-Gazette, said he hasn’t heard of any local businesses that would take on the distribution of the other newspapers, which includes not only home delivery but circulation to stores, hotels and libraries.

Your best bet to get the newspapers now is to call their individual circulation departments and see if you can get delivery by mail, or to sign up for a digital subscription.

As for the local libraries, the Champaign Public Library is getting “day of” copies of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. It is getting the New York Times, but several days late. It is not getting any copies of the Chicago Tribune.

More at the full Mailbag article here. In related news, there was a recent article by Tom Kacich reviewing the News-Gazette's history through competitions, mergers, highs and lows over the last 100 years earlier this month here.