TIME magazine picks up 24/7 WALL ST.’s list of the top ten newspapers most likely to close down altogether or go entirely digital, sans print edition. The Detroit News appears as paper number four on the list, with this rationale:

The Detroit News is one of two daily papers in the big American city badly hit by the economic downturn. It is unlikely that it can merge with the larger Detroit Free Press which is owned by Gannett. It is hard to see what would be in it for Gannett. With the fortunes of Detroit getting worse each day, cutting back the number of days that the paper is delivered will not save enough money to keep the paper open.

 
It’s the second time in a month that the DetNews made a deathwatch; it appeared as number six on RealClearPolitics’ Top Ten Newspapers in Trouble list last month. RCP cited the debt burden of DetNews’ owner, MediaNews Group, as well poor prospects for turnaround given the state of Detroit’s local economy.

DetNews and its competitor, The Detroit Free Press, currently print under a joint operating agreement established in 1989 through a partnership entity, Detroit Newspaper Partnership. Both news organizations announced in December a first-ever reduction in number of days they would offer their papers in print.