San Diego County - News from Aug. 1, 1994

Afternoon Edition Dies: The San Diego Union-Tribune today halts publication of its afternoon edition, the last vestige of the old San Diego Tribune, which owner Copley Newspapers merged with the San Diego Union in 1992. Copley Editor in Chief Herb G. Klein said the closing of the once-popular edition, which carried closing stock prices and was dubbed the “green sheet” because of its green newsprint, reflects a national trend of diminishing popularity of afternoon newspapers. Home delivery of the late edition had declined to 65,000 from more than 100,000 before the merger. Nevertheless, Klein said the Union-Tribune’s daily circulation of 365,000 is up from the 350,000 papers sold five years ago by the Union and Tribune combined. On Sundays, the Union-Tribune sells 450,000 copies. No editorial employees were laid off, but eight or nine circulation employees will lose their jobs or be converted to part-timers as a result of the edition’s demise, Klein said.