
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Saturday will mark the first time since 1860 that Des Moines is permanently without a daily print newspaper.
What's happening: The Des Moines Register ends its regular Saturday print edition this week, transitioning that coverage to an electronic format.
Why it matters: It's another page in our nation's local news rebirth as more Americans move to digital products.
State of play: Gannett — the Register's corporate owner and the nation's largest newspaper chain — is ceasing Saturday print editions in 136 markets this month. That's more than half of the media company's newspapers.
Catch up fast: Newspapers were once the sole means of accessing news, DSM Register editor Carol Hunter noted in a January letter to subscribers.
- The industry's financial fortunes and subscriber base have eroded since the mid-2000s while website traffic is growing, according to the Pew Research Center.
By the numbers: U.S. newspapers' weekday circulation has fallen 61% since 1989, according to Pew. The estimated total in 2020 was 24.3 million.
- Average monthly unique visitors to newspaper websites have climbed by 68% since 2014 — to just under 14 million.
What to watch: Local news sources are expanding via ethnic media outlets, nonprofits and corporate news startups.
The bottom line: Local news still matters but how we get it is changing.


Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Des Moines.
More Des Moines stories
No stories could be found

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Des Moines.