A woman reads a copy of the daily newspaper Maariv (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90)
The Maariv Hebrew daily did not appear on Sunday. Journalists at the once-popular newspaper, which has seen a steady decline in readership and income in recent years, were told by owner Shlomo Ben Tzvi not to show up for work on Saturday night.
There was no word as to whether Ben Tzvi intended to resume printing the paper after Sunday.
The paper may be up for sale again just a year and a half after it was last sold, Haaretz reported on Friday.
Ben Tzvi, who owns the Makor Rishon company that bought Maariv in 2012, is said to be looking for new partners or buyers for the struggling daily.
A court hearing on Ben Tzvi’s request for a stay of proceedings against creditors was scheduled for Sunday.
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Shlomo Ben-Tzvi, publisher of the Israeli newspapers ‘Makor Rishon’ and ‘Maariv,’ December 17, 2013 (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90)
The Makor Rishon company, which owns Maariv and the Makor Rishon newspaper, reportedly owes creditors — including freelancers — and employees some NIS 3.5 million ($1 million) due to Maariv’s lackluster performance.
Ben Tzvi told the court his company cannot currently pay its debts. He has reportedly invested some NIS 90 million in the daily over the past year and a half.
He has proposed a recovery plan that would see drastic cuts in the newspaper’s staff and the sale of Maariv’s website, NRG, in addition to ending the weekday printings of the daily.
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