Five More Michigan Newspapers Will Close ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - People who live in Birmingham, West Bloomfield, Troy, Rochester and Southfield will no longer have a local, weekly paper.

Observer & Eccentric Newspapers will close all five Eccentric editions on May 31 and cut about 45 jobs. In its place, the company will publish a multi-community Sunday newspaper called the South Oakland Eccentric.

Mark Fitzgerald is editor at large for Editor and Publisher Magazine. He says publishers usually think of hyper local newspapers as a safe bet:

"You know, when you see outcomes like Observer & Eccentric newspapers closing, you wonder if that's as smart a gamble as it seemed in the past."

The Ann Arbor News is set to close in July, while seven other newspapers around the state will consolidate or reduce print publications. The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press have already cut back home delivery to three days a week.
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