3-Year-Old Newspaper Publishes Final Edition

The Berkeley Daily Planet has abruptly closed its doors after more than three years of trying to make it in a market that’s tough for new papers to crack.

Publisher Arnold Lee told the staff Friday that the newspaper was closing, and Friday’s edition was its last. The paper still carried ads seeking a copy editor and a sales representative, and encouraged readers to send letters to the editor.

Low ad revenues were the cause, said editor Kurtis Alexander, who estimated that the paper had a circulation of 15,000 to 20,000 just before it closed.

The newspaper was launched in April 1999 by three Stanford University business school graduates and two Turlock journalists. It had three editors and three reporters, 10 regular contributors, some interns, and a small business staff.