Jeannie Schrader of Ida Grove felt devastated when she heard the news that her local newspaper might shut down.
“We look forward to reading it to know what is going on,” Schrader said. “My mom’s heart is crushed to know there will be no more papers.”
Schrader said the Ida County Courier helps connect her community of about 2,000 people and keeps residents informed about local events and sports.
“Many older people do not have smartphones — they are going to be totally lost,” she said.
Ida Grove isn’t the only community that could lose a newspaper. Across Iowa, more than 20 small-town publications could cease operations under a plan recently announced by Mid-America Publishing in Hampton. The company said it will stop printing on April 1. Some of the affected newspapers include the Clear Lake Mirror-Reporter, Grundy Register, and Postville Herald.
“We believe in newspapers and community journalism, and we think it's important. But right now, we are going a different direction,” said Mid-America Publishing President Matt Grohe.
Grohe said rising costs and declining readership since the COVID-19 pandemic led to the decision to shift focus to the company’s commercial printing business.
“If you look at printing, there’s a lot involved. It’s cost-intensive, and all of the costs have risen,” Grohe said. “People are getting away from physical media — you can see this happening across Iowa and the country.”
Potential future for affected papers
Grohe said the company is in talks with several potential buyers who are considering taking over some of the newspapers, though he acknowledged not all may survive.
“It’s a fluid situation,” Grohe said. “They’ve been given reports and information, and they’re doing due diligence.”
For now, Mid-America Publishing has agreed to continue printing six publications through next week in hopes a sale can be finalized. Those include the Wright County Monitor, Eagle Grove Eagle, Ida County Courier, and Holstein Advance.
“Journalism, to me, is so important, and I think it is to a lot of people in these communities,” Grohe said. “But at some point, if you have 300 subscribers, there’s just no way to run it profitably. It would have to be some type of nonprofit.”
That’s where the Western Iowa Journalism Foundation could play a role.
Executive Director Becky Vonnahme said the organization has provided more than $1 million to 11 newsrooms since 2020 to help them modernize. She said some of the impacted newspapers with Mid-America Publishing have already reached out for help.
“We know it’s a difficult situation right now with these closures and the impact they will have on communities,” Vonnahme said. “And we know that once local news disappears, it is incredibly hard to rebuild.”
Importance of local journalism
Vonnahme said Mid-America’s decision reflects broader pressures facing rural journalism, where many outlets have already consolidated, downsized, or reduced their print footprints to stay afloat.
“It’s not just one company that’s struggling,” she said. “It’s indicative of a shift across the country, especially for rural newsrooms. Advertising revenue just is not there anymore.”
To stay solvent, Vonnahme said newsrooms must rethink their business models and build stronger digital presence to replace the high cost of printing and mailing.
“They’re going to need to look at overall business efficiencies and find ways to strengthen their digital infrastructure,” she said.
According to Vonnahme, communities that lose their local newspapers often miss out on more than just the local headlines.
“They lose civic engagement and a watchdog over local government,” she said. “It’s also the identity and cohesion of the community. All of that is at risk when you no longer have a trusted news source.”
