DUBLIN DAILY FREE newspaper the Metro Herald is to cease publication from this Friday.
The 13 full-time staff at the paper are to be made redundant with publisher Fortunegreen Ltd saying they have been “fighting a rear-guard action fuelled by a prolonged recession and an evolving media landscape”.
The team of part-time casual workers who distribute the paper around the capital will also lose their jobs following a consultation process which will conclude in January.
Metro Herald is jointly-owned by the Irish Times Ltd, DMG Media, which publishes the Irish Daily Mail, and Independent News and Media (INM).
The paper began as Metro in 2005 and was owned by the Irish Times and DMG but became its current incarnation when it merged with INM-owned Herald AM in 2008.
Managing director of Fortunegreen Paul Crosbie described the joint-venture between all three organisations as “historic”.
“It is extremely unfortunate that we have come to this decision which sadly means the loss of jobs,” added Crosbie.
The company said in a statement this evening that “the business model has become unsustainable in a difficult advertising environment.”
The paper’s GoMetro.ie news website says that a final “farewell edition” of the paper will be published this Friday.
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