Community newspaper in Millvale prints its final edition
The Green Sheet, a free weekly community newspaper based in Millvale and distributed at grocery stores and hundreds of other outlets throughout the Pittsburgh region, has printed its last edition.
Owner Mike Hammond said Monday the publication will keep an online presence, where people can post a classified ad for free, or pay $ 2.99 to feature the ad more prominently for 30 days.
But the printed product, started in 1941 as the Valley Journal and then renamed Green Sheet in 1958, is no more.
“The internet was killing us,” said Mr. Hammond. “You feel like you’re fighting a losing battle.”
It is a sentiment echoing throughout the newspaper industry as advertising revenue, and people’s reading habits, have taken a hard pivot to online platforms.
The Green Sheet was primarily a vehicle for car dealer and home sales ads, its front cover typically a
full- page advertisement. Mr. Hammond’s son, Dan, also wrote stories about local businesses but had recently told his father he wanted to pursue other work.
The paper has been owned by Hammond family members since 1941. One major highlight during that period, Mr. Hammond recalled, came in 2004 when he met President George W. Bush during the president’s visit to Millvale to survey flood damage left by Hurricane Ivan.
At one time, Mr. Hammond said the Green Sheet had a press run of 36,500 but more recently cut that to 26,500 as revenue dwindled. As it neared its end, the paper was still profitable, he said, even if that meant Mr. Hammond himself didn’t always collect a paycheck.
“But every one of my vendors got paid,” he said. “Every last one.”