Atwater newspaper ceases publication

The Atwater Sunfish Gazette, a twice-a-month newspaper launched almost three years ago to serve residents of Atwater and Kandiyohi, published its final edition Wednesday.

The newspaper’s volunteer board of directors decided to cease publication because of financial problems, a story on the paper’s front page said. The paper’s August balance sheet showed it was losing money.

The newspaper, set up as a nonprofit organization, was led by a paid editor and relied heavily on volunteers to write columns and stories as well as proofread and take photos. Their efforts earned kudos from peers. In 2007, the Sunfish Gazette won awards in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

In May, the free paper tried to rally reader support through voluntary subscriptions. “In addition to donations, we welcome community input and invite community members to consider becoming a board member,” a story in the May 9 edition stated. The appeal received virtually no response from readers, and free subscriptions were eliminated.

Last week, the board could not even meet half its payroll expenses, and decided to stop publication.

In a column to readers, editor Sandy Grussing thanked the many volunteers who made the paper possible. “What you have done is extraordinary,” she wrote. “All of you should be proud of the example you set for small communities across the nation.”

(Doug Hanneman is editor of the Hutchinson Leader. He may be reached at hanneman@hutchinsonleader.com.)