Illinois, once a global centre of newspaper press technology, is fast becoming a news desert, with one publishing shuttering “at least 13” of its 20 mastheads in the state.

North Western Medill’s Eric Rynston-Lobel has reported that the abrupt closure by Paddock Publications will add five new news deserts to the state.

Legislation introduced in the state last year requires publishers to notify the commerce and economic opportunity departments four months ahead of a change of ownership, but does not require the same notice of closures or consolidations.

Equally importantly perhaps, the Paddock family is selling their Daily Herald to Tribune Publishing, which is owned by Alden Global Capital later this month, reportedly for US$24 million (A$33.95 million).

In addition to the Chicago Tribune, which it acquired in 2021, Alden already owns the (Aurora) Beacon-News, (Elgin) Courier-News, Daily Southtown, Lake County News-Sun, Naperville Sun, and (Northwest Indiana) Post-Tribune.

Alden outbid family-owned Shaw Media to take the by-then staff-owned Herald, having already bought its Schaumburg print centre in 2023. Production of the Chicago Tribune has already moved to Schaumburg and the vacated Freedom Center is being redeveloped as a casino.

Paddock says it will now concentrate on its niche publishing division, Town Square Publications, and Downstate weeklies.

The deal – which reportedly started with an unsolicited bid for the Herald from Shaw – now puts the state’s largest and third-largest print mastheads under the control of a single owner; one with a reputation for making savings and realising assets. What happens next may affect readers at least as greatly as the closure of the smaller titles.

Samuel and Frederick Goss started making newspaper presses in Chicago in 1885. Production continued in the US until 2018, with the last press being made at the then Durham, New Hampshire, headquarters, and the merger with manroland.

Pictured: Copies of the Herald produced at the Schaumburg print works, now owned by the Chicago Tribune (photo Chicago Tribune)