The newspapers plan to stop Saturday presses in late January

OLYMPIA, Wash. — What has been a daily tradition for more than 100 years in Tacoma and Olympia will come to an end next year.

The McClatchy Company, publishers of The Tacoma News Tribune and The Olympian newspapers, announced that Saturday editions will be online-only starting at the end of January 2020.

Jeanne Segal, McClatchy’s Communications Director, said the move ensures a "sustainable future" for the papers.

“The news industry as a whole is changing rapidly and headed to a digital future,” Segal said in an emailed statement.

She said Saturdays have the fewest number of print subscribers and online readers outnumber print readers on Saturdays.

Segal said McClatchy is eliminating Saturday print editions at two-thirds of the company’s papers.

“It’s a huge loss to us,” said David Ammons, a subscriber of The Olympian and former Associated Press writer.

Ammons covered politics at the Washington State Legislature for the Associated Press for more than 30 years.

He feared publishers will continue to eliminate printed editions.

“Our daily newspaper is so important to holding the community together,” said Ammons, who said readers don’t read as much of the paper when viewing online articles.