Puerto Rico's El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora to cease print, go digital only

GFR Media confirmed that its two major Puerto Rican newspapers will end print production, with Primera Hora’s final issue slated for Sept. 24 and El Nuevo Día’s for Sept. 27, after which both will operate exclusively online. Publisher María Luisa Ferré Rangel said the decision aligns with the island’s evolving media consumption patterns among more than nine million Puerto Ricans worldwide. The announcement did not specify the number of layoffs, but the company has reduced its unionized workforce from nearly 400 to under 100 since 2015, according to the Association of Puerto Rican Journalists.

The move follows a broader U.S. trend in which roughly 3,500 newspapers have closed in the last twenty years, eliminating over 270,000 jobs. El Nuevo Día, founded in 1970, now reaches over 3.4 million unique monthly digital users, while Primera Hora attracts more than 2.8 million. Both papers plan to expand digital offerings, including video-podcast news programs.