www.montereycountynow.com JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 4, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 17 just one aspect of circulation—digital, including websites, newsletters and social media, make up the rest. “Our audience is bigger than it’s ever been,” Cushman says, when combining both print (Monterey County Weekly) and digital (Monterey County Now) circulation. According to a 2022 audit by the Circulation Verification Council, the Weekly’s print publication has an average net circulation of 20,323. Data from the platform Mailchimp shows the newsletter has more than 31,643 subscribers, while in 2024-2025, there were 81,719 average monthly unique visitors to montereycountynow.com. The challenge now is not only sustaining the print publication, but getting the next generation of readers interested in print. Cushman points to the resurrection of vinyl records—statistics show sales continue to rise in recent years as vinyl culture booms—and hard copy book sales that grew during the pandemic and have remained steady. “We think that’s an opportunity for us. We think we’re going to find success positioning ourselves as a craft, tactile reading material,” Cushman says, adding that good local journalism is the basis. Still, digital remains a key component in the overall investment in journalism. In the spring, the Weekly plans to launch Salinas Valley Now, a daily online newsletter dedicated to covering Salinas and South Monterey County, a region Cushman characterizes as “radically underserved” in terms of important stories that are “undertold.” “The stories that are happening in Salinas and the Salinas Valley are California in a microcosm,” he says. “Immigration, land use, affordability, housing, access to health care, education. These are somewhere between incredibly timely and urgent.” Next to payroll, print costs are the highest expenses for newspapers. Finding a printing press is getting more difficult, and expensive, as the years go on. In 2013, the Pajaronian pulled the plug on its printing press, selling it for parts and scrap. It was the last printing press in Santa Cruz County, which also printed various other small publications, including the now-defunct Cedar Street Times in Pacific Grove. The Pajaronian contracted Southwest Offset Printing in San Jose to print its newspaper. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, Southwest closed the San Jose facility and consolidated it with its Gardena printing plant. As page counts dwindle, compounded by the declining number of publications, it impacts business for printing presses, leading to further consolidations and closings of presses. That, in turn, makes it difficult for newspapers to find a place to actually print their publication. The Weekly, not having its own printing press, must rely on other companies to print its publications. After a 15-year run at the San Jose Mercury’s now-former printing plant, the Weekly has bounced around to different plants over the years, especially in the past decade or so, mainly because such operations have continued to shutter. It is now printed in San Francisco. In 2024, the Biden administration enacted a tariff on aluminum lithographic plates imported from China, a key component of the printing process, as well as on other raw materials over the years including aluminum and steel, ratcheting up the costs of printing. An estimated 80 percent of newsprint used by U.S. newspapers comes from Canada. The on-again, off-again tariffs threatened by the Trump administration earlier in 2025 brought uncertainty. By July, newsprint was exempt from the tariffs, for now. Whether or not the tariffs come to be, costs will continue to rise regardless. And if recent history is any indication, the number of printing presses will continue to fall in response. Meanwhile, the ghost of a printing press’ past remains near the heart of downtown Salinas. Long-dried ink stains the concrete floor inside the warehouse of the Californian’s former West Alisal Street building, and anyone who’s spent time inside a running print facility can still hear the roar of the press echoing through the cavernous space, the sound of a more robust time in the local journalism world. “THE LOCAL JOURNALIST SHORTAGE IS MORE SEVERE AND FAR-REACHING THAN WE FEARED.” FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2026 6PM TO 9PM SIX-COURSE WINE DINNER DETAILS Reservations are required (831) 649-7870 or email lhenderson@portolahotel.com Enjoy a six-course dining experience priced at $125 per person, inclusive. 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