Stop the press: Vienna newspaper Wiener Zeitung ends daily print edition after 320 years

Associated Press

Berlin: One of the world's oldest newspapers, the Vienna-based Wiener Zeitung, ended its daily print run Friday after more than three centuries.  First published under the name Wiennerisches Diarium, the paper set out to provide a sober account of the news “without any oratory or poetic gloss” when it was launched on August 8, 1703.

“320 years, 12 presidents, 10 emperors, 2 republics, 1 newspaper,” the print edition's final front page read. The Wiener Zeitung, which is owned by the Austrian government but editorially independent, suffered a sharp decrease in revenue after a recent law dropped a requirement for companies to pay to publish changes to the commercial registry in the print edition.

The newspaper, which is considered a quality publication with a wide range of articles covering domestic and foreign news, culture and business, was forced to cut 63 jobs and reduce its editorial staff by almost two-thirds to 20. It will continue to operate online and plans a monthly print edition. In its final daily print edition the paper interviewed one of Austria's most famous exports: actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger.