Newsquest has switched publication of its Essex Evening Echo series to the morning, following a trend it has started with its evening papers in the North West.
Reporters from the Echo, which publishes separate editions in Southend, Basildon and Castle Point, were told in a memo by Echo Newspapers chief executive Ian Ferguson that the papers will print overnight with immediate effect.
This means that print editions will not be able to run late-breaking news until the following day. Journalists' shift patterns could change as a result.
The memo said: "After much discussion, it has been decided that we should print the Echo overnight, with the aim to get it in the shops a lot earlier.
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"Evidence from around the country suggests that this helps sales — I'm sure it will work for us."
The paper's editor, Martin McNeill, echoed Ferguson's remarks by saying consumer demand led to the recent change in the paper's publication times.
He added: "All we're doing is making it easier for people to get their copies of the paper in the morning."
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