SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Two of Puerto Rico’s largest newspapers announced Monday that they will discontinue their print editions in the coming days and transition to digital-only formats, reflecting a broader global shift in media consumption.
GFR Media, the Puerto Rican company behind El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora, stated that the decision responds to evolving consumer habits and the challenges of sustaining print operations amid declining advertising revenue.
The final print edition of Primera Hora will be published on September 24, with El Nuevo Día following suit on September 27, as confirmed by the companies.
“We continue to evolve with the Puerto Rico of the 21st century, one that today numbers more than nine million Puerto Ricans who live on the island, in the United States, in Europe, and in the rest of the world. We have always been, and will continue to be, wherever Puerto Rico is,” said María Luisa Ferré Rangel, publisher of GFR Media, in a statement.
It remains unclear how many jobs will be affected by the transition. A GFR Media spokesperson declined to provide additional details beyond the official announcement.
Between 2015 and 2025, Grupo Ferré Rangel — owner of GFR Media — reduced its unionized workforce from nearly 400 employees to fewer than 100, according to the Association of Puerto Rican Journalists.
The two publications join dozens of newspapers across the U.S. mainland that have similarly pivoted to digital platforms or ceased print operations in recent years, driven by shrinking ad revenue and changing reader preferences.
Nearly 3,500 newspapers in the United States have closed over the past two decades, resulting in the loss of over 270,000 jobs, according to Poynter Institute, a nonprofit media research organization.
El Nuevo Día, founded in 1970, made its debut with front-page coverage of Joaquín Balaguer’s election as president of the Dominican Republic and a story on molasses shortages affecting Puerto Rican rum production.
Historic front pages include coverage of Pope John Paul II’s 1984 visit to Puerto Rico — the first papal visit to the U.S. territory — and the 1986 hotel fire that claimed dozens of lives.
More recent milestones include a 2015 front page announcing the island’s $70 billion public debt as unpayable, and the 2019 resignation of former Governor Ricardo Rosselló following widespread protests.
In 2019, El Nuevo Día published an unprecedented English-language front page reading “Mr. President: Your Numbers are Fake,” featuring U.S. President Donald Trump, in response to discrepancies in federal disaster aid post-Hurricane Maria.
El Nuevo Día launched its website in 1997, the same year Primera Hora began publication. Its inaugural page featured a photo of dancer Iris Chacón alongside a dengue outbreak story.
The digital editions currently serve over 3.4 million unique monthly readers for El Nuevo Día and 2.8 million for Primera Hora, according to the companies.
El Nuevo Día recently introduced a digital news program in video-podcast format and plans to launch a weekly news analysis series next month featuring the week’s top stories.
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