Issue: Will Latest Newspaper Collapses Harm the Covered Communities?

Amid reports of a dozen layoffs, U-T San Diego said Tuesday it had closed The Californian newspaper in Temecula.  Former U-T business writer Don Bauder reported in the San Diego Reader that among the company layoffs were longtime health and consumer affairs reporter R.J. “Bobbi” Ignelzi and military writer Nathan Max.

Longtime North County Times sports columnist Jay Paris and government reporter Ray Huard also reportedly are gone as that daily nameplate bought in September goes by the wayside.

“Upon our acquisition of the NCT and Californian, the U-T fielded extensive research that showed that the U-T was respected for its coverage and quality and was favored over the other brands,” Lynch was quoted as saying. “The fact is that the financial model for both the Californian and the North County Times was broken.”

Newspaper closures aren't new, of course.  The migration of readers and advertisers to social media and elsewhere online is part of the new digital economy.

But will broadcast outlets and other news sites pick up the slack?  Will communities lose something essential amid the latest demise of print media? Share your thoughts in the comments.