Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Local Denver Post and national newspaper subscribers won’t be thumbing through newspaper pages over breakfast come Monday in Routt and Moffat counties.

The newspaper, which touts itself as the “Voice of the Rocky Mountain Empire,” recently sent letters to subscribers informing them they no longer would be distributing the printed form of the newspaper Monday through Saturday.

The newspaper cited the economy as the reason for stopping distribution.

“Newspapers across America have been particularly hard hit, and The Denver Post is no exception,” the letter states.

The Post’s Senior Vice President of Circulation Bill Reynolds said Friday that the cost of trucking the papers to this region did not make it profitable for the company. The pullback is similar to what the newspaper did in other areas two years ago, Reynolds said.

The cut in distribution will not only affect subscribers. Reynolds said single-copy sales will be available only Sunday. That means the Monday through Saturday papers will not be available in places like convenience stores or newspaper racks.

The Post is not the only newspaper affected.

The Post also distributed The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, Financial Times and Barron’s.

“All of these will be going away with the exception of the Sunday Denver Post and New York Times,” said Steamboat Springs resident Ulrich Salzgeber, who has been delivering the papers on Thursdays and Fridays.

In the letter sent to Routt and Moffat county subscribers, the Post’s Director of Circulation Consumer Relations Bernie Gitt wrote that the balance on subscribers’ accounts would be applied to the Sunday delivery and the subscription expiration date would remain unchanged.

Subscribers can add Monday through Saturday access to the electronic edition of the newspaper at no charge through the subscription expiration date.

When asked whether the Post would be offering refunds to subscribers, Reynolds said the company does have a refund policy.

He said subscribers could contact the newspaper to discuss their accounts and subscription expiration dates.

Reynolds said Routt and Moffat counties are the only counties affected in Northwest Colorado.