Can't Trust That Day: Sumter, S.C. 'Item' to Stop Publishing on Mondays

By: The Item of Sumter will stop publishing a Monday edition as a way to cut costs.

Item publisher Jack Osteen says the Monday newspaper costs more to produce than it generates. Subscribers will get discounts because of the cutback, which is to go into effect July 1.

The newspaper says keeping subscriptions affordable was increasingly difficult because of energy and newsprint costs and the economic downturn. Many newspapers have been faced with tough decisions in recent years because of rising costs. The Item will continue to report news on Mondays on its Web site: theitem.com.

The Item had been a six-day publication for its first 93 years before adding a Sunday edition in 1987.

Osteen Publishing editor and chairman Hubert Osteen Jr. says the newspaper will enlarge its news staff to expand local coverage.

Information from: The Item, http://www.theitem.com