Star Tribune Ending 158 Years Of Local Printing, 125 Jobs Cut In Minneapolis Plant Closure

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The presses will fall silent in Minneapolis at the end of the year, as the Minnesota Star Tribune ends a 158-year run of local printing and sends production out of state, cutting 125 jobs in the process.

Beginning Dec. 28, the newspaper will be printed seven days a week at a Gannett-owned facility in Des Moines, Iowa, according to the Star Tribune.

The media company stated that print subscribers will not experience any disruption in delivery.

The Heritage plant, located on North 1st Street, which opened nearly 40 years ago, has been operating at just 18 percent of its capacity. The building will be sold after the closure.

"Nothing about this is easy," said publisher and CEO Steve Grove. "But we’re not deserting print. We’re just changing how we produce that paper."

Grove said the move will save "several millions" annually, money that will be reinvested in digital transformation. He added that test runs in Des Moines have shown "no change in quality."

The decision follows decades of declining print readership and advertising revenue across the newspaper industry. While some outlets have quit print entirely, others have outsourced production to cut costs.

"This is really a business decision," Grove said. "We’re one of the last major newspapers in the country that owns its own printing facility."