Hearst Ceases Publication of Southeast News Signal

The 81-year-old Southeast News Signal, a six-day-a-week newspaper serving South Gate, Huntington Park, Downey and Maywood, ceased publication Friday.

The News Signal, a member of Hearst Community Newspapers with paid daily circulation reported at 11,000, had been struggling financially for some time. In a Page 1 announcement headlined “Final Issue,” the paper attributed its demise to “escalating costs, combined with insufficient circulation and advertising revenues.”

News Signal executives were unavailable to comment on the closing, which reportedly affected about 50 employees, some of whom were to be transferred to other community papers. Those not transferred were to get severance pay.

The News Signal was part of the Southeast division of Hearst Community Newspapers, which includes 13 weeklies distributed free to residents of communities in southeastern Los Angeles County.

Scripps-Howard, a Cincinnati-based newspaper company, said last week that it has agreed to buy a number of Hearst’s community newspapers in California and Florida, but the specific papers involved were not disclosed.

Scripps-Howard already owns about a dozen weeklies in the area.

The sale was completed Friday, Scripps officials said.

The News Signal’s prepaid subscribers were offered a choice of mailing in a coupon for a refund or receiving Hearst’s Los Angeles Herald Examiner for the balance of their subscription period.