Weekly newspaper fights to stay open

A Newfoundland and Labrador newspaper is once more looking for a new backer after its current publisher told employees he's pulling out.

The Independent has given two weeks' notice to 16 employees after publisher Brian Dobbin announced last week he was pulling his financial interests out of the province and the newspaper, editor-in-chief Ryan Cleary said Wednesday.

Cleary said  the weekly is looking for a new backer. The paper closed 2½ years ago because of financial trouble but started up a week later.

Even though Dobbin's move has left the publication "high and dry," for now it's business as usual, Cleary said.

"We've shut down once. Mr. Dobbin shut it down once before. We started this back up again. To the credit of the Independent team, our circulation has increased. Since last fall our circulation has gone up by 10 per cent. This is a growing newspaper, but we're still under the five-year mark and we still need a backer," Cleary said.

There are already investors who've expressed interest in The Independent, Cleary said, but he wouldn't say who they were.

The paper, published on Fridays, will produce at least two more editions.

The Independent began publishing in 2003. Its website says it has a readership of 40,000 according to a 2006 readership survey.