If you’re walking down Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, you might notice something a bit weird. People still talk about "the paper" like it’s a single thing, but the reality of the Wilkes Barre PA newspaper scene is actually a long-standing, bitter, and fascinating rivalry that has survived when most other cities became one-paper towns. It’s a scrappy environment. Honestly, the fact that a city of roughly 44,000 people—even considering the wider Wyoming Valley—still supports two major daily publications is kind of a miracle in the modern media landscape.
Most people just want to know where to find the obituaries or the high school football scores. But if you look closer, the split between The Citizens' Voice and the Times Leader tells you everything you need to know about the local culture.
The Two-Paper Town That Refuses to Quit
For decades, the Wilkes Barre PA newspaper market has been defined by a strike that happened back in 1978. That’s the "big bang" moment for local news here. When workers at the Times Leader went on strike, they didn't just picket; they started their own paper, The Citizens' Voice. It was supposed to be temporary. It wasn't. Fast forward nearly fifty years, and both are still swinging.
The Times Leader is the legacy brand. It’s owned by Avant Publications now, after a series of ownership shifts that included some big names like Civitas and even the Walt Disney Company way back in the day. It’s got that polished, corporate-backed feel. You’ll find it at 15 North Main Street. They’ve leaned heavily into digital lately, which makes sense. You can’t survive on newsprint alone anymore.
Then you have The Citizens' Voice. It’s currently part of the Times-Shamrock Communications family, based out of Scranton. Because it was born out of a labor dispute, it has always had this "tough, local underdog" vibe. Even though it’s owned by a larger regional company now, that blue-collar DNA is still there. If you go to a diner in South Wilkes-Barre or Ashley, you’re just as likely to see a copy of the Voice on the counter as you are the Leader.
Digital Shifts and the Paywall Struggle
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: paying for news. Both papers have struggled with how to monetize their websites. It’s a mess everywhere, but in Wilkes-Barre, it’s particularly tricky because the audience is notoriously loyal and, let's be real, a bit stubborn.
The Times Leader often uses a meter. You get a few articles for free, and then the gate drops. They offer "e-editions" which are basically digital replicas of the physical paper. It’s great for the older crowd who wants to "flip" pages on an iPad. The Citizens' Voice does something similar. They’ve both realized that the Wilkes Barre PA newspaper of the future isn't delivered by a kid on a bike at 5:00 AM. It’s an app notification.
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But here’s the thing. When a big story breaks—like a major fire on Carey Ave or a shift in the Luzerne County Council—social media becomes the primary battleground. You’ll see the reporters from both papers tweeting (or "X-ing") frantically. Jerry Lynott, Bill O'Boyle, Ed Lewis—these are names people in the valley know. They aren't just bylines; they're fixtures at the courthouse.
Why the Sunday Edition Still Matters
In many cities, the Sunday paper is a ghost of its former self. In Wilkes-Barre? It’s still a ritual. This is where you find the deep-dive investigative pieces. It’s where the local business profiles live.
Luzerne County politics are... colorful. That’s the polite way to put it. From the "Kids for Cash" scandal years ago to the constant turnover in the county manager position, there is never a shortage of drama. The Wilkes Barre PA newspaper outlets act as the unofficial watchdogs of the courthouse on North River Street. Without them, the level of transparency in the valley would drop through the floor.
Beyond the Big Two: The Alternative Voice
We can't talk about news in the area without mentioning the Weekender. If the daily papers are for the "adults," the Weekender was always for the kids—or at least the people looking for a concert at the F.M. Kirby Center or a drink at a bar in Pittston.
It’s an arts and entertainment weekly. It’s owned by the Times Leader folks now, but it maintains a different voice. It focuses on:
- Local band spotlights
- Bar and restaurant reviews
- The famous "Man on the Street" polls
- Movie times and community events
It’s free. You find it in those wire racks at the front of Wegmans or Price Chopper. For a long time, it was the only way to know what was actually happening on a Friday night in NEPA.
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The Logistics of Staying Informed
If you're moving to the area or just trying to keep up, you've got choices. You can subscribe to the physical delivery, but be warned: delivery routes are getting harder to fill. Many people have complained about late papers or missed days. This isn't unique to Wilkes-Barre; it's a nationwide crisis in the industry.
The smartest move is usually a digital-only subscription. It’s cheaper. It’s instant. Plus, you don't have to deal with soggy newsprint when it rains.
Local Coverage Focus
The Wilkes Barre PA newspaper scene covers a surprisingly wide net. They aren't just looking at the city limits. They cover:
- The Back Mountain: Dallas, Shavertown, Trucksville.
- The West Side: Kingston, Forty Fort, Edwardsville.
- The Pittston Area: The "Tomato Capital" gets a lot of love, especially during the festival.
- Nanticoke and the South: Covering the expansion of LCCC and local industry.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of outsiders think local newspapers are dead. They see the thin daily editions and assume the lights are about to go out. But they don't see the traffic numbers on the websites. They don't see the thousands of people who login every morning specifically to read the "Police Blotter" or the "Vital Statistics" section.
In a tight-knit community like this, news is social currency. Knowing who passed away, who got arrested, and who won the school board seat is how people interact. The Wilkes Barre PA newspaper isn't just a business; it's the social fabric of the Wyoming Valley.
The competition between the Voice and the Leader keeps them both honest. Sorta. It ensures that if one paper misses a story about a corrupt official, the other one is going to jump all over it just to stick it to their rival. That kind of friction is actually good for the public.
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Practical Steps for Local Readers
If you want to stay informed without getting overwhelmed by the noise of Facebook groups (which are often filled with rumors rather than facts), here is how you should handle news in the 570:
Diversify your intake. Don't just stick to one side of the 1978 strike divide. Check the Times Leader for their slicker interface and often faster breaking news updates. Flip over to The Citizens' Voice for their sports coverage—especially if you care about the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins or local high school wrestling.
Follow the reporters, not just the brands. Many local journalists have their own social media presence where they post updates that might not make it into a full article until hours later.
Utilize the archives. Both papers have incredible historical archives. If you're doing genealogy or researching a property in Luzerne County, these are gold mines. The Osterhout Free Library in downtown Wilkes-Barre also keeps microfilm if you want to go old school, but the digital archives are becoming much more accessible.
Support local journalism. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. If the subscriptions dry up, the only thing left will be "news" generated by algorithms or unvetted posts on "Greater Wilkes-Barre Real News" Facebook pages. And trust me, you don't want that to be your only source of information when the Susquehanna River starts rising toward the top of the levee.
Stay updated by setting up Google Alerts for "Luzerne County Council" or "Wilkes-Barre City Hall." This helps you catch the big stories from both the Wilkes Barre PA newspaper outlets simultaneously without having to refresh multiple homepages all day.