The Capital Times of Madison, Wisconsin has reduced its print circulation to twice-weekly, choosing to shift much of its content to its site, Madison.com.

In its new format, The Capital Times will be distributed to homes on Wednesdays in tandem with its publishing partner The Wisconsin State Journal, and will also be available for free in city newstands. The Times has also acquired an arts and entertainment tabloid that will be distributed on Thursday.

With the move to the web, The Capital Times will have a circulation of more than 80,000 compared to its current circulation of 17,000.

"Moving our resources to the Web is the wave of the future," editor Dave Zweifel said. "Putting the full force our newsroom on the site will extend the reach and relevance of The Capital Times for years and years to come."

Madison was one of the last American cities of its size (population approximately 200,000 in July 2006) to retain two daily newspapers. The paper plans to retain a staff of 40 to 45 ; however, according to Capital Times publisher Clayton Frink, job cuts of up to 40 employees are likely.

Sources : E-Media Tidbits, Fading to Black through IFRA Executive News Service, Wisconsin State Journal, City-Data.com