It’s the end of an era, as residents in and around Grain Valley prepare to lose a member of the community in the form of their in-town news source. The Pointe Newspaper and Website will cease operations upon publication of its final issue next Wednesday, November 28.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have come to this decision. Poor economic times have brought us to the point where my family cannot sustain any additional debt from operating the newspaper,” publisher and owner Zachary Pross said. “Our expenses have gone up annually, and are expected to continue to rise in the coming year, while advertising revenue remains the same. It’s just not a model for running a successful business.”
The paper began production 14 years ago this month, dedicated to serving the community in ways that other outside publications had failed. Over time, this mission has become more fiscally risky.
“Operating a newspaper and website is a very time-consuming and expensive venture,” Pross said.
Pross recognized the hard work and dedication of The Pointe’s staff of writers, photographers, advertising sales people, and office personnel in producing a quality publication week in and week out.
“Without them, this paper wouldn’t have made it a week, let alone 14-plus years,” Pross said. “I was blessed and lucky that I had such a great staff.”
He added that he and his employees have valued everyone who was a part of the paper, whether as clients or as friends and readers.
“We’re thankful to the community, our advertisers, and of course our readers. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience this will cause. We know there are quite a few out there who will miss the paper and what it provides almost as much as we’re going to miss what we do.”
by Christopher Fischer | The Pointe Staff