Regional publisher ACM will close its press site in Tamworth, NSW, and shift the Northern Daily Leader to daily digital coverage with a Saturday print edition from early May, as rising costs make the manufacturing operation unsustainable.
Weekday print editions will cease, with printing of the new Weekend Leader transferred to News Corp's Sydney facility.
ACM has entered a consultation period with affected employees.
"We will continue to cover the local news that matters for Tamworth, New England and the NSW North West region online every day and we will continue to publish a printed newspaper for the region with the Weekend Leader," said Tony Kendall, ACM managing director.
"This prudent, proactive strategic change will help us meet the current needs of the business and secure the ongoing success of the Leader as a news source valued highly by the community.
“We are grateful for the efforts of our editorial team at the Leader and we thank those skilled workers who have operated the presses for us in Tamworth for their hard work and expertise."
ACM has implemented the same digital-plus-weekend-print model across Orange, Bathurst, Port Macquarie, Goulburn and Bega over the past two years.
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