Austin American-Statesman to end Saturday print delivery, will offer enhanced e-Editions

Responding to continued and rapid shifts toward digital news consumption, the American-Statesman is announcing a change in print delivery frequency beginning March 26. The Statesman will cease home delivery and single copy retail sales on Saturdays but will continue to provide subscribers with a full digital replica of the newspaper that day, filled with local news, advertising and features, such as comics and puzzles. The new model means subscribers will get newspapers delivered to their home six days a week, with a digital newspaper available every day. “Our commitment to local news remains steadfast,” Statesman Executive Editor Manny García said. “But the platforms on which our community is consuming news continue to evolve. We saw it during the extraordinary growth we had last year in digital subscriptions and expect that growth to continue this year.

“What was once solely a daily newspaper has transformed to include a digital site, mobile app, social media platforms, multimedia and more,” García said. “We produce accountability reports, editorials, visual projects — everything from our dining guides to Longhorn sports across multiple sites. “No doubt, our print newspapers remain a vital and important part of our strategy,” García said. “We are making a change this year in response to subscriber and advertising trends and to meet our growing audience where they want to receive our exclusive journalism.” All print subscribers of the Statesman have full digital access, meaning they can choose to read news updates throughout the day, subscriber-only stories and video and audio features, among other benefits they can enjoy. Subscribers also have 24/7 access to obituaries, legal notices and classifieds on our website. News and sales staffing at the Statesman will not change with the move. However, those staffs will be even better aligned toward digital news delivery.