Wrapper production ends amid rising print costs, advertising declines

The Lexington County Chronicle will no longer be publishing its free weekly version, The Wrapper, also known as The Fish Wrapper.
The March 6 edition of The Wrapper was the last one.
“We love local news and have high hopes for local news in Lexington County,” said Vince Johnson, Group Publisher of the Chronicle. “The Wrapper was a free weekly publication to readers that needed to be supported by advertising, and it simply wasn’t. With newsprint costs now rapidly rising, The Wrapper became unsustainable.”
Almost all newsprint used by U.S. newspapers is produced in Canadian paper mills and subject to the 25% tariffs that President Donald Trump has proposed, Johnson said. After initially saying the tariffs would go into effect in March, Trump now has set a date of April 2 for the tariffs to be enforced.
The Chronicle and The Wrapper are both printed at The Post and Courier in Charleston.
“From what I’m told, there are basically no reasonable options for getting newsprint in the U.S.,” Johnson said. “It all comes from Canada, so it’s all subject to the tariffs and a 25% increase.”
Loyal readers of The Wrapper are encouraged to get a subscription to The Lexington County Chronicle.
A one-year subscription to The Lexington County Chronicle is $99 and can be purchased at LexingtonChronicle.com/subscribe or by calling The Chronicle office. Digital-only and other subscription options are also available.
The Chronicle newspaper comes out each Thursday in print and online with up-to-date news and options for organizations wanting to advertise. Subscribers have unlimited access to the website, which is updated throughout the week between print editions.
In addition, the Chronicle plans to launch a new, free monthly print publication in the Summer of 2025. Details of the new publication will be released at a later date.
“Lexington County deeply deserves a Lexington-focused local news source, and we have a great local team at The Chronicle,” Johnson said. “By ending The Wrapper, it gives us an opportunity to shift resources and better serve the Lexington community for years to come.”