The Greenwich Mercury will no longer have a standalone print title as it merges with sister title the South London Press.
But the closure of the 186-year-old weekly newspaper’s standalone print title has not resulted in job cuts, according to new owners Street Runners.
The London-based leaflet distribution firm bought the South London Press and Greenwich Mercury after previous owners Capital Media Newspapers went into administration in 2017.
The company refutes that it has now shuttered the Mercury, arguing that it has instead been “incorporated” into South London Press, which publishes twice a week.
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It also now owns the London Weekly News, another former Capital Media title that was previously owned by regional publisher Tindle.
It will have one dedicated reporter while a five-strong editorial team comprising a reporter, two senior subs, a news editor and a sports editor, will work across both titles.
Owner Slav Ibelgaupt said: “We want to preserve the Mercury.
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“It is a 186-year-old title and played a massive and probably crucial part in bringing Charlton Athletic Football Club back to The Valley in 1992.
“The staff were a huge part of the Back to The Valley campaign which helped pave the way for the team’s return home after seven years in exile.
“The Mercury is not folding, it is simply being incorporated into its sister paper and will continue to go from strength-to-strength.”
The South London Press will be renamed as the South London Press and Mercury from this Friday.
The London Weekly News will be a standalone print title but share the londonnewsonline.co.uk website with the South London Press and Mercury.
“We can also focus our attention on our new west London title, which is crying out for its own local paper,” said Ibelgaupt of the Weekly News.
Picture: Greenwich Mercury
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