JANESVILLE — After 136 years of publishing, the Janesville Argus will merge with the Waseca County News on Dec.1.

According to Janesville Argus Publisher and Editor, James Anderson, the decision was made based on the steady decline of advertising in the Argus as well as its proximity to its sister publications, the Waseca County News and Waseca Area Shopper, which serve the same market.

“The Argus has reached a point where it is no longer profitable. Unfortunately, we do not see this trend changing for a newspaper solely serving a market as small as Janesville with a regional community newspaper and shopper in the same county. With the weekly County News already serving the region, and the Waseca Area Shopper delivered in all Waseca County communities, the merger just made sense,” Anderson said.

Letters were sent directly to subscribers and advertisers this week explaining how the merger will work along with the new features and benefits available to Janesville readers, such as the new Janesville tab on the Waseca County News website, wasecacountynews.com.

“It’s important to note we are not reducing reporting time for Janesville and we will continue to cover the news and advertising needs of Janesville in print through the County News and Area Shopper as well as online at wasecacountynews.com. The new Janesville news tab will allow residents to access their local and regional news electronically 24/7,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the community’s citizens can turn to the Waseca County News to read school, government and business stories and news features that appeared in the Janesville Argus and that his staff is committed to its ongoing service to the Janesville area.

“Janesville’s readers and advertisers are just as important to the County News as they are to the Argus,” said Anderson, who serves as Publisher and Editor of both papers. “There will be no break in coverage as the two papers merge. “

As of today, the Waseca County News has a distribution of more than 3,100 households in Waseca and Janesville while the Waseca Area Shopper reaches 8,569 homes in Waseca County. Online website traffic at wasecacountynews.com totals more than 150,000 monthly visits and continues to grow. The Golden Nugget will also continue to be distributed at local stores in Janesville.

The last day of publication for the Argus will be Wednesday, November 24. The Waseca County News publishes weekly on Wednesday and is available locally through home delivery and at local stores and newsstands.

Anderson invites anyone with questions to contact subscription services at 507-837-5440 or contact him directly at 507-837-5443 or janderson@wasecacountynews.com.

The Janesville Argus, Waseca County News, Waseca Area Shopper, and the Golden Nugget are part of the family-owned company, Huckle Media, LLC, which owns newspapers and shoppers in Waseca, Owatonna, Faribault, Northfield, Kenyon, Lonsdale, Le Sueur, Le Center, and St. Peter, as well as a central printing plant in Northfield.