After only a year together, the Toronto Star is pulling the plug on its partnership with The Onion.
“The reason we’re doing this is economic pressures resulting in declining ad revenues,” Bob Hepburn, a spokesman for the Star, told Marketing.
The Star has handled advertising rights, sales, printing and distribution for the Canadian version of the free weekly paper since 2011.
The Toronto edition marked the first time a print version of The Onion was distributed outside the U.S. It is still available in 13 markets including New York, Chicago and Denver.
The Toronto version of The Onion included pop culture content from the A.V. Club (an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion) as well as local stories.
For the Canadian launch, the A.V. Club hired an editor to source Toronto-specific copy from freelancers. This individual has been let go, said Hepburn, but there have been no other job losses.
The last Toronto-made Onion print issue will appear July 26.
