Although some newspapers in a struggling industry continue to cut back on expenses, The Frederick News-Post is preparing to return to Monday publication after going to six days-per-week almost three years ago in a cost-cutting move.

The Frederick paper is set to return to a Monday edition starting next week, with an emphasis on general-interest business and sports news.

“It will still be a regular daily newspaper, but just have more emphasis on business and sports on that day,” Publisher Geordie Wilson said. “There will be new columns and more useful features. Our goal is to make this a unique publication for our readers.”

Of the scores of newspapers across the country that in recent years have reduced the number of days they publish, Wilson said he was not aware of any that had returned to their previous publishing schedule.

“It’s a little bit unusual, but our readers and advertisers want a Monday paper that has home delivery,” he said.

After making considerable cost reductions in recent years, more newspapers are re-evaluating that strategy based in part on newly-found efficiencies in their delivery systems, said John Murray, vice president of audience development for the Newspaper Association of America, an Arlington, Va., trade group.

“They are finding that subscribers are willing to pay a premium for days that are otherwise unprofitable because of lost advertising,” Murray said.

MLive Media Group, which operates several newspapers in Michigan, is reducing print publication for most of its papers beginning on Thursday, according to a news release. The company is emphasizing its Web-based content while cutting home delivery for most papers down to three days per week.

Those editions will be expanded, and printed editions still will be offered seven days a week at newsstands. However, The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times recently resumed home delivery on Tuesdays.

In addition, several papers in Northern California, including the Vallejo Times-Herald and the Eureka Times-Standard, recently cut their Monday editions.

The Frederick paper is not adding employees for its Monday edition, as it already has some distribution employees working on Sunday, Wilson said. Editorial staff has been putting out a Monday Advance section in its Sunday edition; those staffers now will work on the Monday edition, he said.

“We have already been bearing many of the costs,” Wilson said.

There will be additional costs involved with resurrecting the Monday paper, but they are likely lower than they would be for most other newspapers wanting to resume publication that day, he said. Advertising sales will be handled a bit differently on Monday, with fixed ad positions sold on contracts separate from other days.

The News-Post, which dates to 1883, has 33,856 in weekday circulation and 34,537 in Sunday sales, according to a recent Audit Bureau of Circulations report. The paper is owned by privately held Randall Family LLC.

kshay@gazette.net