The weekly newspaper, Stroud Life, is to close as part of a major shake-up of the county's news media.

Punchline understands Stroud Life will go when its sister daily newspapers, the Gloucester Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo become weekly publications in October.

The Citizen is launching a new Stroud edition and the Bristol-based Western Daily Press will launch a Gloucestershire edition with daily county news.

Reaction to the news that the Citizen and Echo are going weekly has been mixed. But many media experts believe it was inevitable and the switch to weekly publication will ensure the survival of local newspapers.

There is sadness that five jobs will go.

The Gloucester Citizen's circulation fell by 19.9 per cent to 8,771 year on year and the Gloucestershire Echo's circulation dropped by 17.1 per cent to 8,124, according to figures published by Press Gazette earlier this year.

The growth of online news coverage and social media have hit local newspaper sales across the UK.

John Lovell (pictured), a former Citizen chief sub and production editor said he was disappointed but not surprised at the decision to make The Citizen a weekly newspaper.

"The declining circulation from over 40,000 a night in the 1970s to under 10,000 a night now has made this change inevitable," he said.

The major reason is the change of reading habits prompted by the digital revolution rather than any change in the product. However, the cover price per edition (75p) had not helped maintain the once loyal readership.

"But all is not lost. I really think that moving to a weekly would revive interest in the paper and see a significant increase in circulation."

The cost saving to readers of buying a weekly rather a daily may be attractive.

Mr Lovell added: "We often take local democracy for granted.

"Local newspapers enable people to know/comment and react to local news and events - take that away and how might you find out what is happening around the corner or at the end of your road?

"The Citizen has been and can continue to be not merely a source of information and entertainment (which it has been since 1875) but also a valuable cog in the local democracy process holding our elected leaders to account.

"We cannot afford to lose such a facility. Long live the Citizen."

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