After almost 30 years of existence, Houston's Spanish-language daily was forced to close August 28, the local 11 News reported. El Dí­a provided thousands of the city's Hispanic residents with news equally from Houston and Latin America.

Likewise, the newspaper was an important source of information on immigration and served as a family resource for the Spanish-speaking community. One former El Dí­a reporter told 11 News: "It's going to be tough for people. It's going to be tough [for them] to see what's going on around them."

The publisher will continue to offer a free, weekly classified newspaper called La Subasta. Houston also has a Spanish-language weekly, La Semana.

Across the global, niche publications serving a specific segment of the population have struggled alongside their mainstream counterparts. This week Canada's largest French-language newspaper floated the possibility of closure if it cannot reach an accord with its employees by December 1. Hawaii's only Japanese-language paper has also experienced hardship in the past year. In the UK, the gay newspaper Pink Paper went online-only, while two publications serving the African-Caribbean and Asian communities shuttered.

Unlike general interest papers, these niche publications are often the only option for news for certain communities. When they cease printing, the impact can be deeply felt.

Source: khou.com