Alaska
Juneau Empire changes signify concerning trend for Alaska newspapers’ future, longtime journalist says
JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – A longtime Alaska journalist says Juneau Empire staff changes that publicly played out on social media earlier this week speak to the bigger picture of a concerning trend for the future for Alaska newspapers.
“I think it’s changing and if we don’t figure out what works, it’s going to die,” said Wrangell Sentinel Publisher Larry Persily, who’s spent more than five decades working in various Alaska journalism and government roles.
“It used to be advertising carried most of the budget for newsrooms. Now it’s going to be readership,” he added. “But we’ve got less readership, so we’ve got to come up with some answer or it’s a terminal illness.”
Persily’s assessment of the state of newspaper journalism comes after former editor Mark Sabbatini’s announcement Monday on the newspaper’s official Facebook page.
“I am resigning from the Juneau Empire, after giving notice three weeks ago, as of Tuesday, June 17,” Sabbatini wrote in the post. “There is no local successor planned.
“Instead the paper will be edited/managed remotely from Kenai (where the Peninsula Clarion, a sister paper, is based), with assistance from Carpenter Media’s offices in Canada and/or Washington state.”
Speaking with Alaska’s News Source Wednesday, Sabbatini — who returned to the Empire in 2022 before becoming editor in 2023 — said he determined his position would not be replaced from conversations with the paper’s Mississippi-based owner, Carpenter Media Group, who have not returned a request for comment.
“They didn’t technically fire me, they just told me I wasn’t required to come into work anymore before my employment ended at the end of the day Tuesday,” Sabbatini said Wednesday, after the post had been removed. “They also disconnected my ability to access any of their systems. So essentially, I consider that being fired.”
Sabbatini, who also served as an Empire reporter from 1995 to 2006, said that to his knowledge, the newspaper would still staff locally-based Juneau reporters, saying his resignation came after differences of opinion with owners over the direction the paper was moving.
First published in 1912 under the name Alaska Daily Empire, the paper discontinued printing locally two years ago, following a trend of what many consider a decline in local media.
Carpenter Media Group purchased the Empire’s parent company, Sound Publishing, for $100 million from Black Press Media last year amid financial struggles. The purchase included two other Alaska papers under Sound Publishing: The Peninsula Clarion and the Homer News.
As for the future, Sabbatini said he plans to look at online-specific newspaper models like the Nome Nugget, the Mat-Su Sentinel, and the Wrangell Sentinel, as he launches a new nonprofit online newspaper, the Juneau Independent, which he said will go live online Friday.
“The thing is there’s some fantastic journalism work going on these days,” Sabbatini said. “It’s just not always getting read and it’s just not always what’s the most popular or most profitable.”
In addition to the loss of advertising revenue, which Persily correlates to free social media platforms, he also cited printing costs as another stifling factor facing local journalism.
While the Wrangell Sentinel has been exclusively a weekly paper since it began in 1902, Persily said it has lost money every year since he’s owned it due to the high cost of printing.
In 2023, Sound Publishing discontinued daily printing of the Empire, reducing print editions to only two times a week, opting to print from Lakewood, Washington, to much public scrutiny.
The Peninsula Clarion also cut back printing in 2024, going from Wednesdays and Saturdays to printing one weekly edition on Fridays. The weekly Homer News, too, scaled back, switching to non-local printing.
And they’re far from alone; as many papers begin to scale back print editions to prioritize online, Persily said there’s still the problem of losing the readership that prefers printed copies in hand over digital content on screens.
“Every paper in Alaska is financially challenged and has problems,” Persily said. “We’re just we’ve got to convert people to online and then find some way to make enough money off online from advertising and readers. And we’re not alone, the whole country is going through that.”
Persily, who has periodically served as the Wrangell Sentinel’s publisher since 1976, said finding a solution lies in acknowledging there is an abundance of questionable online content that has created a barrier between the public and credible local news sources.
“We’ve got to figure out where the public is getting their news and get them real news — not the other garbage that comes in over their phone — to establish newsrooms where there’s radio, TV, newspapers, online news sites to build and maintain credibility, so people come to those sites,” Persily said.
Alaska’s News Source reached out to Carpenter Media, Sound Publishing and the Peninsula Clarion for comment, but had not received a response as of publication time.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
Alaska Airlines announced its newest nonstop flight out of Seattle: a straight shot to London.
Starting in May 2026, the nonstop flight will travel from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Heathrow Airport, the largest international airport in the United Kingdom. The airport resides in Hounslow, located an hour outside of London.
The daily service will operate on Alaska Airlines’ 787 Dreamliner.
London is Alaska Airlines’ fifth intercontinental destination, alongside Rome, Reykjavik, Tokyo, and Seoul. According to the airline, the new route strengthens business ties, with London being the largest corporate market from Seattle.
“By 2030, we plan to serve at least 12 intercontinental destinations from Seattle, with additional routes to be announced in the years to come,” Alaska Airlines stated. “We currently have four Boeing 787-9s in our fleet, with a fifth aircraft recently delivered.”
Guests traveling from the U.S. can now purchase airfares to London for as low as $699 round-trip at alaskaair.com.
Alaska Airlines hit hard by federal shutdown
According to aviation analysts, the federal shutdown cost Alaska Airlines millions of dollars. The airline’s fourth-quarter income is expected to fall by $32 million.
The company told investors it lost 15 cents per share. Flight cancellations at SEA and other airports lasted 43 days.
According to The Puget Sound Business Journal, Delta reports a $200 million hit. United, JetBlue, and Southwest could see losses, too.
Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here.
ANCHORAGE, AK (Alaska’s News Source) – Extreme wind has been non-stop for more than 60 hours in Wasilla in Palmer, where peak wind gusts have reached over 80 mph three days in a row.
Wind gusts at the Palmer Airport climbed over 50 mph Friday evening and didn’t drop below until late Monday evening.
The High Wind Warning for the Matanuska Valley will continue through 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Calmer conditions are likely on Tuesday afternoon as the winds relax across the area.
Send us your weather photos and videos here!
The rest of Southcentral remains clear and dry, with temperatures likely dropping to the lowest levels of the season starting Tuesday morning. This pattern will continue through the end of the week.
Download the free Alaska’s News Source Weather App for the latest forecast in your area.
In Southeast, Winter Storm Warnings are still in effect near Ketchikan for up to 8″ of additional snow through Tuesday. Winter Weather Advisories are also in effect near Hyder for an additional 9-12″ of snow on Tuesday.
The snow has ended across the northern areas of Southeast, but extreme cold is setting in. Wind Chill values will reach as low as -50° near Skagway, to -25° near Haines, and to -15° near Juneau.
The Copper River Basin will also experience extreme wind chill values to -50° through Tuesday afternoon.
In the Interior, temperatures dropped to -30° for the first time Monday morning, and we’ll see several nights at that cold level this week.
24/7 Alaska Weather: Get access to live radar, satellite, weather cameras, current conditions, and the latest weather forecast here. Also available through the Alaska’s News Source streaming app available on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.
Copyright 2025 Alaska’s News Source. All rights reserved.
That was close. At least for a while.
Oregon State women’s basketball avoided an upset loss to Division II Alaska Anchorage on Sunday at Gill Coliseum, going on a 15-3 run to end the game and beat the visiting Seawolves, 69-53.
The Beavers (6-4) started slow but took control in the second half, surviving a barrage of three-pointers (11 of 37) from Alaska Anchorage (7-2) to pull out a win.
OSU was led by Tiara Bolden with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Katelyn Field poured in 11 as well for the Beavers on 3 of 6 three-point shooting.
10 different players scored as OSU coach Scott Rueck relied on his bench to get the team out of a funk.
The Beavers got off to a sluggish start. Alaska Anchorage came out firing, and took a 10-8 lead at the midpoint in the first quarter on a three by Kimberly Carrada.
After one, with the Seawolves shooting 56%, the Beavers trailed 24-18.
In the second quarter, Rueck emptied his bench and put typical reserves in the game, seemingly to send a message after a lackluster effort by his starters.
Alaska Anchorage extended its lead to 34-27 at one point, but OSU rattled off a 7-0 run to end the half and tie things up. The Beavers had 10 turnovers at half, with the Seawolves hitting six of an eye-popping 20 three-point attempts.
Rueck kept reserves in the game to start the second half, but when he re-inserted his starters, the Beavers opened up a 44-36 lead thanks in large part to Bolden’s scoring.
Jenna Villa hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the third, her first basket of the game after a cold start, which gave OSU a 52-42 lead through three.
Alaska Anchorage kept chucking from downtown as the fourth quarter began, and a pair of makes cut the OSU lead down to 54-48.
Despite going cold from the field, the Beavers tightened up their defense to keep it a six-point lead for an extended period. It got as close as four.
But Field nailed a three to get it to 59-50 with under four minutes remaining, and Bolden hit a pair of jumpers to extend the run to 10-0 and lead to 64-50 with 1:35 to go. The Beavers didn’t look back.
Next game: Oregon State (6-4) vs. Arizona State (10-0)
- When: Sunday, Dec. 14
- Time: 1:00 pm PT
- Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis
- Stream: ESPN+
Average Boston rent down for first time in years — but still over $3K
Pat Surtain II Delivers Brutally Honest Take on Broncos’ Final Opponents
Seattle officials probe food safety violations at Indian restaurant after illness outbreak
San Diego suggests giving 4 projects $15M to build 500 new affordable homes
Jingle Bus brings holiday cheer to downtown Milwaukee with new warming house location
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Trump dismisses calls for Alito, Thomas to step down from Supreme Court, calling them ‘fantastic’
Is Czech Republic’s new PM Babiš Orbán 2.0? It is not that simple
Black bear populations are bouncing back. Here’s how these Texas towns are coping
Top Mamdani appointee faces heat amid promise to make NYC more affordable: ‘Embodiment of inflation’
Honduran election authorities resume vote tallies amid allegations of fraud
-
Alaska3 days agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Politics7 days agoTrump rips Somali community as federal agents reportedly eye Minnesota enforcement sweep
-
Ohio5 days agoWho do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
News7 days agoTrump threatens strikes on any country he claims makes drugs for US
-
World7 days agoHonduras election council member accuses colleague of ‘intimidation’
-
Texas3 days agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Miami, FL3 days agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Iowa2 days agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire