Visitors tour front pages from The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans as part of an exhibit at the Newseum in Washington in 2010. The paper said it would end daily print publication, moving to a schedule of three issues per week, to adapt to "an increasingly digital age."

The Times-Picayune, the largest newspaper in New Orleans, said Thursday it would end daily print publication, moving to a schedule of three issues per week, to adapt to "an increasingly digital age."

The move creates a new company called the NOLA Media Group which will "significantly increase its online news-gathering efforts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while offering enhanced printed newspapers on a schedule of three days a week," a statement from the daily said.

"The change is intended to reshape how the New Orleans area's dominant delivers its award-winning local news, sports and entertainment coverage in an increasingly digital age."

The newspaper, which traces its history to 1837, will be home-delivered and sold in stores on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The decision signals a change in the way news is delivered to "an increasingly wired New Orleans area audience," the company said.

"I believe moving to a stronger digital focus positions the new company to continue to serve the needs of our various communities," said the publisher of The Times-Picayune, Ashton Phelps.

The changes will begin later this year.

"We will continue our 175-year commitment to covering the communities we serve," editor Jim Amoss said.

"We will deliver our journalism in print, through NOLA.com and on our 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we invite our readers to become a part of the conversation."

US newspapers have been grappling with a steep drop in print , steadily declining circulation and the migration of readers to online. But more newspapers are developing models for paid online subscriptions or apps for tablets or phones.

A recent survey showed nearly one of seven newspapers read in the United States is now a digital one.

(c) 2012 AFP