Northeastern B.C. cities lose their last newspapers

A large geographic portion of B.C. is about to lose a primary source of local journalism.

On Friday, Glacier Media announced it is shutting down both the Dawson Creek Mirror and Fort St. John's Alaska Highway News, with final editions being released next week.

In a letter posted to both of the papers' websites, president Peter Kvarnstrom said running the newspapers, and their online editions, is no longer sustainable as advertising revenue has "shifted heavily to online platforms such as Facebook or Google."

"These same platforms have helped us grow our audience engagement online, but we can no longer rely on the advertising revenue to keep our operations viable," he wrote.

The closures of the Mirror, which was founded in 1930 as the Peace River Block News, and the News, which was first published in 1943, mean a large chunk of the province will no longer be served by a newspaper of any form. 

Last month, the independent Fort Nelson News also closed, after publishing its first edition in 1959.

None of the newspapers will be continuing with online editions, either, leaving a large gap in the local media landscape in a vast region that often views itself as both politically and economically separate from the rest of the province.

Apology from editor

Collectively, northeast B.C. is home to about 73,000 people, and the region produces much of the province's energy between oil and gas extraction and major hydroelectric projects.

More than 1,000 kilometres from Vancouver, and separated from the rest of B.C. by the Rocky Mountains, a common lament in the region is that political leaders in Victoria don't understand the realities of the area, which is also marked by a strong agricultural history.

The founding publisher of the Alaska Highway News, Margaret "Ma" Murray, said it was important to be "the only newspaper in the world that gives a tinker's damn about the North Peace," a line Kvarnstom quoted in his farewell letter to readers.

In his own farewell letter, Mirror managing editor Rob Brown reflected on his career and ended with an apology to readers: "I'm sorry this company could not keep your paper going."