As set out in the group’s 2020 business plan, Les Coops de l’information will publish the last weekly print editions on December 30.
Les Coops includes Le Droit in Ottawa-Gatineau, Le Nouvelliste in Trois-Rivières, Le Quotidien in Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Le Soleil in Quebec City, La Tribune in Sherbrooke, La Voix de l’Est in Granby and Les As de l’info, a website dedicated to youth.
Les Coops de l’information will continue to produce print editions of its Mag Affaires in all six markets because, it says, the content of the magazine stays relevant longer.
“Our local media are firmly rooted in their regions, but like everywhere else in the world, our readers are increasingly accessing our content online and in our applications because everything needs to be instant these days,” said Geneviève Rossier, general manager of Les Coops de l’information, in a release. “These platforms are also a prime showcase for our advertisers looking to reach a specific client base, and they help reduce our environmental footprint.”
Commemorative last issues produced for December 30 will mark the end of the print era and document the unique role of the media in the development of their respective communities. The group says it is committed to maintaining the close ties between each region and its local paper for years to come.
Ahead of the change, the Coops initiated a voluntary departure program this summer, with 125 workers representing about one-third of the CN2i workforce, signed up.
The news comes amidst further disruptions in Quebec’s media industry, as Quebecor head Pierre Karl Péladeau hosted a press conference on Thursday to announce a restructuring of TVA Group in the face of unsustainable deficits. The changes include cutting 31% of its workforce and reorganizing its news operations. The moves on the news side aim to achieve “closer collaboration among all of Quebecor’s media properties to capitalize on the strengths of each, reach Quebecers more effectively and compete with the Web giants for advertising dollars,” the company’s announcement stated.
