Image is of previous office of the Kinston Free Press located in Kinston.

The Kinston Free Press is one of many print newspapers changing how, and when, they are delivered according to an article written by John McClure from the New Bern Sun Journal. Paxton Media Group owns The New Bern Sun Journal, Jacksonville Daily News, Goldsboro News Argus, Roanoke Rapids Herald and Kinston Free Press in Eastern North Carolina.

“Big-box advertisers are spending advertising dollars on social media and streaming services that they used to spend with traditional media,” the Sun Journal said in its article. “We just aren’t as shiny anymore as an industry in the eyes of ad agencies on Wall Street.”

The changes will begin at the end of February and the beginning of March. In January 2022, The Free Press stopped Saturday print publication. Paxton Media Group acquired the newspaper in November 2022. At that time it was announced that they will move to a Tuesday-Saturday model for print editions. This change marks the third reduction in moving away from the seven-day print customers were used to.

“In order to satisfy both and remain healthy on our bottom lines as a business, some of our newspapers such as Goldsboro, New Bern and Jacksonville are going to a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday weekend edition publication cycle,” McClure wrote. “Roanoke Rapids Herald will publish Tuesdays and Saturdays. Others, like the Kinston Free Press, will be converting to a weekly Thursday publication.”

Last week, Paxton Media Group acquired Camden Media Company in Paducah, Kentucky. At the beginning of February, the Paxton Media Group told some of their local papers to close their offices to the public in an effort to streamline their efficiencies and processes.