Another Major West Texas Newspaper Transitions Away from a Printed Edition

ODESSA, TX – The longtime newspaper in Ector County, the Odessa American, announced on Tuesday that it will be transitioning into a "digital first" format. 

According to the announcement, beginning Saturday Apr. 30, the Odessa American  will be bringing its daily paper to strictly online. Subscribers will still get the same newspaper format but it will not be printed.

"Subscribers of the Odessa American will receive via email every morning the digital “e-edition” of our newspaper seven days a week delivered directly to their email account. In addition to this new, seven-day-a-week daily e-edition," stated OA in the announcement. "The traditional printed edition of the Odessa American will continue to be delivered to subscribers on Wednesdays and Saturdays (the Weekend Edition) via US Postal Mail beginning April 30th. These editions will also be available for purchase at store and rack locations."

Newspapers switching to online platforms continues to be a growing trend especially in larger cities. The San Angelo Standard Times quit printing the newspaper locally years ago.  The printed version is produced out of town.  

In Apr. 2020 the Standard Times put up its building for sale. The downtown building was purchased by the City of San Angelo. In the deal, the city agreed to pay the $28,000 in property taxes that were owed on the building. 

"We live at a time when it has become all too clear that the fastest and most effective way of delivering information to you and our other readers and viewers is digitally," stated the OA. "The Odessa American is fortunate to already have hundreds of digital-only subscribers and our online viewership continues to grow steadily."