After 165 years in print, DC Thomson have ceased production of The Weekly News. The bumper anniversary issue at the end of May was the last to be published.
The Weekly News which began as a newspaper, and retained that appearance, became a feel-good publication with a mix of general interest articles, nostalgia, puzzles, cartoons and fiction. It was at its most popular in the 1960s and 70s when it sold over a million copies a week. This figure had dropped to 12,500 by 2018. Although the impact of Covid-19 further reduced sales, this wasn’t the reason for the magazine’s closure.
Richard Neville, head of newspapers at DC Thomson Media, said, ‘We took the decision to close The Weekly News with a heavy heart... it was really suited to a non-internet age and its formula has become less relevant in today’s media landscape.’