Weekend Post to close but watch out for The Weekender

Nelson Mandela Bay-based newspaper Weekend Post will be closing later this month, the Eastern Cape general manager of Arena Holdings, Ryan Megaw, announced on Thursday.

No internal jobs will be affected.

A new lifestyle supplement, The Weekender, will be introduced and published in The Herald on Fridays from March 1.

Another Saturday news publication in the province, Daily Dispatch Weekend edition, would also be closed, Megaw said.

The decision was made in line with the evolving reading patterns of news audiences, which are largely online and on the move.

The last editions of the two Saturday papers will be published on February 24.

Two weeks later, The Weekender website will launch on March 15.

“While we are sad to bid farewell to Weekend Post, which has served our community with such distinction for so long, we look forward to better serving the needs of our loyal readers through the new Weekender experience,” Megaw said.

The Weekender will cater to leisurely interests, passions and curiosities with hand-picked content involving travel, food, wine, water sports, surfing and gardening, among other things. 

The Herald and Weekend Post editor Rochelle de Kock said she was sad to see the closure of Weekend Post, which had been part of the Bay community for more than 76 years.

“This decision was not an easy one, but it is in line with international trends in this ever-changing media landscape and preferences of our readers.

“Having said that, we are excited about the new product that we will be launching, which will cater to our readers’ leisure tastes. Watch this space,” De Kock said.

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