The online operation will have a reduced editorial staff The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the 146-year-old US newspaper, will print its final edition on Tuesday before becoming a strictly online operation. Owner Hearst Corporation has failed in its attempts to find a buyer for the paper, put on sale in January. America's newspaper industry has been badly hit by the downturn, and a number of titles face closure. The decision to go solely online is the first such venture for a large US paper. However, the website will be run solely as a source of local news and opinion, rather than an internet incarnation of the former newspaper. FROM THE BBC WORLD SERVICE Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
More from BBC World Service There will be an editorial staff of 20, compared to the previous 150. The remaining editorial staff will be expected to write, edit, take photos, and shoot video. "We don't feel like we have to cover everything ourselves," said a statement from Michelle Nicolosi, who will lead the site as executive producer. "We'll partner for some content; we won't duplicate what the wire is reporting unless we have something unique to offer; we'll continue to showcase the great content from our 150 or so reader bloggers and we'll link to content partners and competitors to create the best mix of news on our front page." Industry woes Seattle follows Denver in losing a daily newspaper this year, after the Rocky Mountain news closed. And in Arizona, Gannett's Tucson Citizen is set to close on Saturday, leaving one newspaper in that city. Last month the San Francisco Chronicle said it plans to cut a "significant" number of jobs to meet cost-cutting targets, and that if the targets are not met, then the paper could be sold or closed down. The New York Times is struggling to service debts of some $400m, amid dwindling cash reserves and plunging revenue. Last year it had to mortgage its gleaming new headquarters (built in 2007 with much fanfare) to bolster its cash flow. The Tribune Company, which owns the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun and many other titles, filed for bankruptcy in December, and although its newspapers remain in publication, the repercussions of the bankruptcy filing are likely to lead to restructuring. Three other newspaper companies have also filed for bankruptcy in recent months. They are Star Tribune Holding Corporation (which owns the Minneapolis Star-Tribune), the Journal Register Company (which owns the New Haven Register and a number of other titles in the North East), and Philadelphia Newspapers LLC (which owns Philadelphia's two top newspapers, the Inquirer and the Daily News). The American newspaper industry has been hit by falling advertising revenue in recent years.
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The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (P-I), the 146-year-old Seattle newspaper, will make its final print edition on today, before becoming an online-only news agency.

However, the online version is to be for local news only. The editorial staff would consist of twenty people, less than one-seventh of the 150 staff that were employed before the closure.

With this closure, the ''Seattle Times'' is now Seattle's only major daily newspaper.

"We don't feel like we have to cover everything ourselves. We'll partner for some content; we won't duplicate what the wire is reporting unless we have something unique to offer; we'll continue to showcase the great content from our 150 or so reader bloggers and we'll link to content partners and competitors to create the best mix of news on our front page," said Michelle Nicolosi, who is to be the executive producer of the online paper.

The Hearst Corporation, the owner of the P-I, was not able to find a buyer for the newspaper when it was put up for sale back in January.

The newspaper industry in the country has been suffering as revenue from advertising plunges. Other newspapers in the United States have also shut down recently: Denver's ''Rocky Mountain News'' shut down earlier this year, whilst the ''Tucson Citizen'' of Arizona will print its final edition on Saturday.