POTTSTOWN >> Six years after its first issue hit the streets of Pottstown, The Mercury moved for the first time – from 62 E. High St. to 24 N. Hanover St. – taking over the building occupied by its former competitor, The Pottstown Daily News.
Now The Mercury is moving again.
But just like with its first move in 1937, the newspaper will continue to publish and cover the news and events of the Tri-County area.
June 30 will be the last day The Mercury’s business, advertising and editorial offices will be housed in the landmark building at the corner of King and North Hanover streets, where they have been located since 1937.
Starting on Monday, July 2, The Mercury editorial, business and advertising offices will once again be housed in the same building in which the newspaper is printed – the Journal Register Offset facility at 390 Eagleview Blvd. in Exton, near the entrance to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
With computers, the Internet and smart phones, it no longer takes the 100 or more people it used to produce a newspaper 365 days a year, all of which allows the staff to be more mobile and work almost anywhere, according to Publisher Edward Condra.
And at 30,000 square feet, and the ensuing overhead costs that come with it, the current building is simply too large for the smaller staff.
“Our mission has been, is, and always will be, to bring the news to the people who live, work and play in the Tri-County area,” Condra said. “We know how important it is for our readers to have a quality information product at their fingertips, and a simple change in address will not change our dedication to that goal.”
The move follows similar consolidations undertaken in Pennsylvania by Digital First Media, which owns The Mercury and several other publications in a cluster around the Philadelphia market.
When The Mercury was founded by Shandy Hill and William Hiester in 1931, Hill, the paper’s legendary first editor, promised in the paper’s first issue that The Mercury would be “frank and fearless in all matters, especially in which Pottstown has a vital interest.”
“That is a tradition The Mercury has upheld since day one, and one which we will continue to uphold from our new location,” Condra said.
