A new weekly newspaper for Bute is set to launch next week, after the island's previous local paper that has served an island for nearly 165 years announced it was to shut down.
The Buteman, which has no reporters based on the island, is due to close after publishing its final edition later this month after its readership fell to below 550.
READ MORE: Bute newspaper to shut down after 165 years serving an island community
JPI Media, the owners of the weekly which covers the island of Bute confirmed the closure two weeks ago and the paper told their readers the sad news last week.
A company spokesman said: “The closure of The Buteman is not a decision we have taken lightly, but it is crucial that we focus all our efforts on the long term stability of the business and deliver newspapers and websites which can sustain our business for the long term.
“We would like to thank all our readers and advertisers for their support through the decades, and we hope they will understand why we have made this decision in these challenging times."
But Argyll Media, the publishers of the Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Standard, has said it will launch a new title The Isle of Bute News from June 21. It will be produced and edited from the Dunoon office of Argyll Media.
Dunoon Observer and Isle of Bute News editor Gordon Neish said: "We are all sorry to see The Buteman will no longer be published, as the people of Bute deserve a newspaper to be their voice, and to keep them informed of what is going on, both on and around the island.
"I have thought for some time that as Bute and Cowal are physically so close to each other and have so much in common, such as a council area committee, health board - and even sports teams, that a newspaper covering both areas would be ideal.
READ MORE: Bute newspaper to shut down after 165 years serving an island community
"The Isle of Bute News and the Dunoon Observer will have some pages in common, as well as some pages devoted to exclusive news for Bute and Cowal respectively."
The closure of The Buteman came after JPI owned the paper for a year.
The company purchased the assets of Johnston Press, including the Bute weekly, and papers like The Scotsman and the Yorkshire Post, following a sale to its creditors.
The Buteman latterly did not employ anyone on the island, instead relying on two journalists based in Edinburgh who are both expected to be moved into other roles within the organisation.
The Buteman told its readers last week: "The June 21 edition of The Buteman will be regrettably the last one of your weekly newspaper. Sadly we cannot continue to publish online or in print.
"The Buteman is owned by JPIMedia, which remains committed to maintaining titles in local markets as long as they remain economically viable, and will do everything it can to keep them in the market for as long as possible.
"This has been the case with The Buteman, which was established back in 1854, but print advertising and newspaper sales have steadily declined to the point where the decision has now been made that the title is no longer viable, and the final edition will be published om June 21."
Last month, The Buteman issued this plea for readers to help fill its pages with “local stories” through its website.
Argyll and Bute MSP Michael Russell told of his concern, after the announcement, saying: "Very sorry to see the final closure of The Buteman which has served the island so well for many generations," he tweeted.
"Gap in the local market for a real local and locally edited / written paper for Bute now though."
Its closure came in the wake of one of the biggest stories to hit Bute in recent years - the murder of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail in July last year.
The last time it was audited in 2018 the Buteman's circulation stood at 730, while the population of the Isle of Bute stood at 6,144 as of 2017.
Two years ago Argyll and Bute councillor Robert MacIntyre set up a public meeting designed to put pressure on Johnston Press into increasing the number of local news pages in The Buteman.
Around 70 people on the Scottish island of Bute attended the meeting to discuss the paper's future after the councillor claimed only around four pages are devoted to local news each week with the rest of the 24-page paper filled with content from Johnston Press's other Scottish titles.
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