USA Today to Cease Publishing USA Weekend

Posted on December 9, 2014

USA Today has announced that is going to cease publishing USA Weekend. The weekly newspaper Sunday insert is included in 600 newspapers every Sunday. The final issue of USA Weekend will be on Dec. 28th.

USA Today reports on the end of its weekly insert in an article that says shrinking print advertising demand is part of the reason for the end of the insert.

The publisher Gannett is also trying to eliminate duplicate products. 30 jobs were eliminated as a result of ending the insert. USA Today says the content for the weekly paper was primarily produced by freelancers. Jim Lenahan, the editor of the weekly, will stay on at USA Today as an editor.

The insert has been published as USA Weekend since 1985. Gannett purchased a publication called Family Weekly In 1985 and turned it into USA Weekend.

The closure of USA Weekend leaves Parade as the largest Sunday insert by far. USA Weekend was the second top Sunday insert with a circulation of 18 million. Parade has a circulation of 32 million according to its website. Parade has the potential to grow if it can replace USA Weekend in any of those 600 newspapers that will be losing a Sunday insert. USA Today is trying to keep its contracts the newspapers by offering them USA Today's weekend Life product in lieu of USA Weekend.