Westmore News, which has published editions with news of Port Chester and Rye Brook for 60 years is closing. The issues scheduled to be published tomorrow, Dec. 20, will be its last according to owners Richard and Jananne Abel. The newspaper company was founded by Richard Abel’s father, Bernard and has been managed by Richard and Jananne Abel for 40 years. They plan to retire locally but also spend more time with family members on the West Coast.
“Over the decades, we’ve witnessed our community grow and change and have had the privilege of sharing its stories,” Jananne Abel, who is the newspaper’s editor, said in a message to readers. “Every issue has been a labor of love — covering local events, school and government issues, highlighting residents’ achievements and holding those in power accountable.”
Richard Abel, who is the publisher, said, “I treasure the relationships I’ve built with readers, advertisers, community leaders and local organizations. The newspaper has been more than just a business; it’s been our life for 40 years, a vital part of the community and a platform for voices that might not otherwise be heard.”
Westmore News said it has a subscriber circulation of about 3,250 households and reaches about 10,000 people each week through copies made available in newspaper distribution boxes located on streets in both Port Chester and Rye Brook.
Westmore has had an internet presence in addition to the two print editions published weekly, Port Chester Westmore News and the Rye Brook Westmore News.
According to the Close Up Foundation based in Washington, D.C., as of December there were just under 6,000 newspapers published in the U.S, with about two papers closing each week. The foundation said projections indicated that by the end of 2024 the U.S. would have lost one-third of the newspapers that it had in 2005.
A study by the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University found that more than 1,500 counties in the U.S. had only one newspaper and more than 200 counties had no newspapers. In 2024, there were 130 newspapers that shut down. The Northwestern study found that U.S. newspaper circulation declined 65% from more than 115 million in 2005 to 40 million today.
