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St. Pete's Catholic Newspaper Halts Publication

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 10, 2008

TAMPA - After 40 years, the St. Petersburg edition of the Florida Catholic newspaper has ceased publication, opting for an expanded, free magazine that will be mailed six times a year to every registered Catholic family in the diocese.

Changes also include a revamped online version of the paper.

The last print edition was published Oct. 24, and Bishop Robert Lynch lamented the loss in a column.

"For 40 years, the Florida Catholic has been an important instrument of communication to Catholics in the original Diocese of St. Petersburg spanning the counties between Citrus and Lee and, since 1984, the five counties which now comprise our local church," the bishop wrote in his column. "This paper has been somewhat unique in the history of Catholic journalism in the United States, since from its inception it was a joint project of more than one diocese."

But the newspaper has faced problems confronted by print publications all across the nation: Reduction in subscribers and a trend of young readers looking to the Internet for information.

"The printed word is somewhat in decline while the electronic word is in ascendancy," Lynch wrote. "I myself get most of my news of the world, state and local off the Internet."

He said publishing the weekly newspaper costs about $350,000 a year over subscription revenue and was reaching only about a third of the 110,000 Catholic households in the diocese.

Changes are afoot, he wrote.

In January, all Catholic households in the diocese will receive the first edition of the magazine-style publication that will be published every two months. The magazine will be free.

Denise O'Toole, managing editor of the Florida Catholic in Orlando, said the new product will be edited and prepared by the staff there and be contracted out for publishing.

No one lost jobs over the conversion, she said. There was one full-time position in the St. Petersburg edition, which has been vacant since February. Writers are freelancers, she said, and the magazine likely will use those same writers to fill its pages.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760.

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