Freedom Communications, the parent company of the Gazette, announced today that it would close the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz., by Dec. 31. The move will cost 140 employees their jobs.

The 100,000-circulation Tribune was switched to a free circulation, four-day-a-week model in January in a bid to cut costs, then cut to three days a week in April. Those changes cut about 140 jobs.

In announcing the closure, a Freedom Communications press release said it was unable to find a buyer for the paper.

Freedom Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September.

The Tribune won a Pulitzer prize earlier this year for a series on controversial Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.