One of the oldest newspapers in North America, the Hearst Corporation-owned Intelligencer last reported a circulation of 114,000, with reports claiming that only 20 of the publication’s 165 full-time staff will be retained for the online-only operation.

The change reflects a growing trend in US publishing, with the Christian Science Monitor the first national daily to go online-only last October.

A series of newspaper groups are facing an uncertain future in light of decreasing ad revenue and the global financial crisis, with publishing giant Tribune Company filing for bankruptcy in December last year.

A report from credit ratings firm Fitch recently predicted that many US cities would be without a daily printed newspaper by as early as next year.

“More and newspapers and newspaper groups will default, be shut down and liquidated in 2009,” the report claimed.

The shutdown of the Intelligencer’s print operations leaves the Seattle Times as the city’s only daily newspaper.

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