Due to a sharp increase in the cost of printing — and our desire not to pass these costs along to our customers at a time when prices are rising for everything — the decision has been made to publish The Middlesboro News just one day per week.

This October 5, 2024, edition will be the final weekend edition and beginning on October 9 the print edition of The Middlesboro News will come out each Wednesday and will include more pages than our twice-weekly editions contained.

Subscribers who have already paid in advance will receive the number of issues they paid for, just over a longer period. For example, if you paid for a year of delivery, you will still receive 104 issues, just over two years instead of one. If you have subscription-related questions, call our circulation department at 606-302-9094.

While the number of print editions each week is going down, the amount of local news we cover will remain the same. New stories will continue to appear daily on our website: www.middlesboronews.com and through our Facebook page. We’ll continue to have electronic editions and a daily newsletter available to our subscribers.

The newspaper industry has been facing unprecedented challenges over the past 15 years or so. The world of print media has been hit hard by the rise of digital platforms and changing consumer preferences. In 2023, the U.S. saw an average of 2.5 newspapers go out of business each week and we are committed to making sure that doesn’t happen here.

The Middlesboro News has been an important source of local news for Middlesboro, Bell County and the entire Tri-State area for over 100 years and will continue to serve our readers and customers with the best coverage of local news, sports, events and other happenings that we possibly can.