Editing The New York Sun (section)

==Financial problems, circulation, and end of print run, 2001–2008==
''The Sun'' was started anew in 2002 in the face of a long-term decline of [[newspapers in the United States]], loss of advertising revenue to the Internet and the rise of [[new media]]. From the beginning, it struggled for existence.<ref name="ap-end"/><ref name=bercovici/><ref name="ap-mcshane"/> ''The Sun'' was the first new daily newspaper launched in New York since 1976, when [[News World Communications]], a company controlled by the [[Unification Church]], launched ''[[The News World]]'' (that was later renamed the ''New York City Tribune'' and folded in 1991).

At the time of its creation, one media financial analyst said the ''Sun's'' chances of survival were "pretty grim",<ref name="ap-mcshane">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K9IJAAAAIBAJ&pg=4827,1750906&dq=new-york-sun&hl=en | title=New York Sun will shine again | first=Larry | last=McShane | agency=[[Associated Press]] | newspaper=[[The Bryan Times]] | date=April 14, 2002 | page=3}}</ref> while another media commentator characterized it as "the unlikeliest of propositions".<ref name=bercovici/>

[[Image:Cary Building 001.JPG|thumb|right|upright|''The Sun'' published from the [[Cary Building (New York City)|Cary Building]] in lower Manhattan.]]

It was underfunded from the start, with ten investors putting up a total of approximately $15 million—not enough for long-term running.<ref name=bercovici/> Beyond Conrad Black, who pulled out in 2003, these included hedge fund managers [[Michael Steinhardt]] and [[Bruce Kovner]], private equity fund manager [[Thomas J. Tisch]], and financier and think tank figure [[Roger Hertog]].<ref name="nyt-end"/>
''The Sun''{{'}}s physical plant, in the [[Cary Building (New York City)|Cary Building]] at Church Street and Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan, was antiquated, with malfunctioning telephones and computers, a trouble-prone elevator and fire alarm system, and dubious bathroom plumbing.<ref name="nyt-end"/> Nevertheless, Lipsky had hopes of breaking even within the first year of operation.<ref name="nyt-cross"/>

The [[Audit Bureau of Circulations (North America)|Audit Bureau of Circulations]] confirmed that in its first six months of publication ''The Sun'' had an average circulation of just under 18,000.<ref>{{Cite news
 |url        = https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/23/business/sun-reports-circulation.html
 |title      = Sun Reports Circulation
 |date       = December 23, 2002
 |work  = [[The New York Times]]
 |access-date = 2008-02-04}}</ref> By 2005 the paper reported an estimated circulation of 45,000.<ref>{{Cite news
|url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com/News2005/may05/may09/4_thurs/news2thursday.html
|website=Media Life
|title=Darker cloud over the New York Sun
|date=May 12, 2005
|access-date=2008-02-04
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184352/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/News2005/may05/may09/4_thurs/news2thursday.html
|archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref> In December 2005, ''The Sun'' withdrew from the Audit Bureau of Circulations to join the [https://web.archive.org/web/20061205052259/http://certifiedaudit.com/ Certified Audit of Circulations], whose other New York clients are the free papers ''[[The Village Voice]]'' and ''[[AM New York Metro]]'', and began an aggressive campaign of free distribution in select neighborhoods.<ref>{{Cite news
 |url          = http://www.nysun.com/article/24943?page_no=2
 |newspaper    = The New York Sun
 |title        = Sun Launching New Circulation Drive, Withdraws From ABC
 |date         = December 23, 2005
 |access-date   = 2008-02-04
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929105656/http://www.nysun.com/article/24943?page_no=2
 |archive-date = September 29, 2007
 |url-status     = live
 |df           = mdy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
|url=http://www.gawker.com/news/metro/groundhog-day-revelation-12-weeks-of-sun-152436.php
|title=Groundhog Day Revelation: 12 Weeks of 'Sun'
|date=February 2, 2006
|website=[[Gawker]]
|access-date=2008-02-04
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111418/https://www.gawker.com/news/metro/groundhog-day-revelation-12-weeks-of-sun-152436.php
|archive-date=September 29, 2007
}}</ref>

While ''The Sun'' claimed "150,000 of New York City's Most Influential Readers Every Day", ''The Sun''{{'}}s own audit indicated that it was selling approximately 14,000 copies a day—while giving away between 66,000 and 85,000 a day.<ref name="wapo-cross"/><ref name="Sherman"/><ref name="nyt-cross">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/nyregion/22sun.html?sq=&st=cse&%2334;new%20york%20sun=&%2334;=&scp=9&pagewanted=all | title=After 6 Years, N.Y. Sun Finds Itself at a Crossroads | author=Barron, James | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=September 21, 2008 | access-date=February 18, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220055703/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/nyregion/22sun.html?sq=&st=cse&%2334;new%20york%20sun=&%2334;=&scp=9&pagewanted=all | archive-date=December 20, 2016 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all | author-link=James Barron (journalist) }}</ref> (The New York ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]'' sold about 700,000 copies a day during that period.) It offered free subscriptions for a full year to residents in advertiser-desired zip codes;<ref name="Sherman"/> this and other uses of [[controlled circulation]] made it more attractive to advertisers, but further diminished its chances of ever becoming profitable.<ref name="nyt-cross"/>
Similarly, ''The Sun''{{'}}s online edition was accessible for free since August 2006.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/newspapers/new_york_sun_sees_light_makes_web_free_41612.asp
 |title        = New York Sun Sees Light, Makes Web Free
 |date         = August 8, 2006
 |publisher    = mediabistro.com
 |access-date   = 2008-02-04
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210054/https://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/newspapers/new_york_sun_sees_light_makes_web_free_41612.asp
 |archive-date = September 30, 2007
 |url-status   = dead
 |df           = mdy-all
}}</ref> ''The Sun'' acquired the web address www.LatestPolitics.com in 2007.<ref>[http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/departments/online/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003584849 (requires registration to access)] {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In a letter to readers published on the front page of the September 4, 2008, edition, Lipsky announced that the paper had suffered substantial losses and would "cease publication at the end of September unless we succeed in our efforts to find additional financial backing."<ref>{{Cite news
 |url          = http://www.nysun.com/editorials/the-future-of-the-sun/85129/
 |title        = The Future of the Sun
 |date         = September 4, 2008
 |first       = Seth
 |last       = Lipsky
 |newspaper    = The New York Sun
 |access-date   = 2008-09-04
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080904083327/http://www.nysun.com/editorials/the-future-of-the-sun/85129/
 |archive-date = September 4, 2008
 |url-status     = live
 |df           = mdy-all
}}</ref><ref name=nyt20080904>Perez-Pena, Richard (September 4, 2008), [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/nyregion/04sun.html New York Sun May Close if Millions Aren't Found] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220054459/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/nyregion/04sun.html |date=2016-12-20 }}. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved on September 4, 2008.</ref> In particular, the paper's existing backers would not put forward more money unless new backers with capital were found.<ref name="wapo-cross"/> The [[2008 financial crisis]] halted funding opportunities, and ''The Sun'' ceased publication on September 30, 2008.<ref name="ap-end"/><ref name="end"/><ref name="nyt-end"/> It had approximately 110 employees at that time,<ref name="nyt-end">{{cite news | url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/losing-money-new-york-sun-is-to-shut-down-after-6-years/ | title=New York Sun to Shut Down | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=September 30, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623162054/http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/losing-money-new-york-sun-is-to-shut-down-after-6-years/?scp=6&sq=%22new%20york%20sun%22&st=cse | archive-date=June 23, 2015 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref> and also made use of many [[freelance writer]]s.<ref name="wapo-cross"/> Mayor of New York [[Michael Bloomberg]] commented that "The Sun shone brightly, though too briefly," and that its writers were "smart, thoughtful, provocative".<ref name="nyt-end"/>