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The newspaper - which has about 32,000 daily subscribers, according to a court filing - has also suffered circulation and advertising losses over the past decade that its publisher, Susan Chilton Shumate, described in a letter on Monday addressed to the staff as вЂњdevastating to the bottom line.вЂќДespite its successes, the financial strains on the newspaper have long been in plain view, even to outsiders. The announcement came at the end of a tumultuous period for the publication, which had weathered drawn-out legal battles stemming from a 2004 transaction in which the left-leaning Charleston Gazette acquired a controlling interest in the right-leaning Charleston Daily Mail.

THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE CHARLESTON WV FULL

вЂњBut I guess life is full of highs and lows, and obviously now weвЂ™re at a low.вЂќ Eyre, who plans to remain in West Virginia no matter the outcome. вЂњNever in a million years would I think that eight months later we would be in bankruptcy and IвЂ™d be reapplying for my job,вЂќ said Mr. A prospective buyer is lined up, but the move raises questions about the future both of a relentless local watchdog and its more than 200 employees, including Eric Eyre, who accepted the Pulitzer last year for his reporting on the stateвЂ™s opioid crisis. On Monday, staff members learned that the newspaper was filing for bankruptcy ahead of a sale, ending the Chilton familyвЂ™s century-long role in shepherding its journalism. But the newspaper now faces a painful reality: No matter how strong its journalism, no publication is immune to the economic pressure on the industry. Only 27 percent of the stateвЂ™s workforce currently has at least a two-year degree.For decades, The Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia has exposed corruption, greed and incompetence with a tenacity that was rewarded last year with journalismвЂ™s highest honor, a Pulitzer Prize. Research shows nearly 50 percent of jobs in West Virginia will require some postsecondary training or a college degree by 2020. The statistics concern Hill, who said research continues to indicate that future jobs will require more than a high school diploma. Hill said West Virginia once had a similar rate, though decreases can be attributed to the recent economic downturn. The national average is nearly 63 percent. The college-going rate in West Virginia - the number of students attending either an in-state of out-of-state college - is one of the lowest in the country. вЂњWe want to create a college-going culture,вЂќ he said Tuesday during a meeting with Gazette-Mail editors.

With the stateвЂ™s college-going and completion rates falling to 55 and 24 percent, respectively, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Paul Hill wants students to see the importance of earning a postsecondary education. Fewer students are attending and completing college in West Virginia, a statistic that, along with budget cuts and increases in tuition, has state higher education officials concerned.

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