The nation’s last evening newspaper closed after publishing its final edition yesterday.
The Chinese-language United Evening News said in a statement that it decided to end publication due to the “changing habits of readers, development of digital media and the COVID-19 outbreak.”
“The decision to cease publication starting [today] was finalized this [yesterday] morning, but we had been evaluating that option over the past few years,” managing editor Wang Mao-chen (王茂臻) said.
Photo: CNA
Wang said that the newspaper’s circulation had been declining annually, as have other print media in the nation.
“However, we cannot break even anymore with the circulation we have at the moment,” he said.
It said it would offer subscribers a refund or allow them to transfer their subscription to another United Daily News Group (UDN) publication, and it would retain all of its reporters.
The front page of its final edition featured images of its 11,783 front pages published over the past 32 years and three months with the text “thank you” in Mandarin in large font.
UDN founder Wang Tiwu (王惕吾) established the newspaper on Feb. 22, 1988, shortly after the government on Jan. 1, 1988, lifted a newspaper ban.
It was the nation’s first Chinese-language paper to print in landscape orientation.
“As the only evening newspaper in the nation, the United Evening News has accomplished its purpose in the nation’s history of development. We thank our readers for their support, which has helped sustain us for more than 10,000 days,” it said.
In February, Chinese-language weekly tabloid Next Magazine folded its online publication after ending its print edition in 2018.
In addition to the United Evening News, the nation previously had two other evening newspapers: China Times Express and Independent Evening Post, founded in 1988 and 1947 respectively.
The China Times Express ended publication on Oct. 31, 2005, due to shortfalls in advertising revenue as 24-hour cable TV news rose in popularity.
It also experienced a sharp decline of subscribers following an economic slump, the rising influence of online news and the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s decision to extend trading until 1:30pm.
Its management tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a merger with United Evening News.
The Independent Evening Post distinguished itself as unaffiliated with political parties.
It ceased publication on Oct. 2, 2001, after years of financial losses and management changes.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS