The Onion will stop publishing its last few print publications this December. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the newspaper version of the long-running satirical publication, which is now only distributed in Chicago, Milwaukee and Providence, will stop after Dec. 12’s issue. The paper had been around for 25 years, since The Onion began in Madison back in 1988. It launched its website in 1996, and now will move entirely into digital and its “new creative service for advertisers.â€
There have been a lot of changes over the years at The Onion. The company moved its editorial staff to Chicago last year, much to the disappointment of many of its writers.
Update: The Onion’s president, Mike McAvoy, had this statement about the change:
The Onion’s focus in recent years has been on growing the digital side of our business and, by ending our print contracts in Providence, Milwaukee and Chicago at the end of 2013, we will have completed the transition to becoming a 100 percent digital company. While the print edition is an important part of our history, we are very excited for the opportunities that come with prioritizing digital for even greater company growth.By adopting an all-digital approach, our writers are able to create even more one-of-a-kind comedy content that our readers love. Overall, we we will be able to cover more timely stories/topics, increase our video output, and become a better satirical representation of the current news media.’
The Onion has been expanding its brand beyond the signature newspaper for years, branching out into television shows at IFC and Amazon and extending its mockery to reality television and TED talks.