320-year-old Vienna newspaper Wiener Zeitung ends daily print edition

One of the world’s oldest newspapers, the Vienna-based Wiener Zeitung, ended its daily print run Friday after more than three centuries.

First published under the name Wiennerische’s Diarium, the paper set out to provide a sober account of the news without any oratory or poetic gloss when it was launched on August 8, 1703.

320 years, 12 presidents, 10 emperors, 2 republics, 1 newspaper, the print edition’s final front page read.

The Wiener Zeitung, which is owned by the Austrian government but editorially independent, suffered a sharp decrease in revenue after a recent law dropped a requirement for companies to pay to publish changes to the commercial registry in the print edition.

The newspaper, which is considered a quality publication with a wide range of articles covering domestic and foreign news, culture and business, was forced to cut 63 jobs and reduce its editorial staff by almost two-thirds to 20.

It will continue to operate online and plans a monthly print edition.

In its final daily print edition the paper interviewed one of Austrias most famous exports: actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It lamented that, unlike Schwarzenegger’s famous Terminator character, the newspaper won’t be able to make the phrase I’ll be back its motto for the future.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)