(WFXR) — The Danville Register and Bee and The Martinsville Bulletin are two daily papers taking a hit as Lee Enterprises cuts down circulation on several of its newspapers around the country.

The papers both announced last Sunday that starting June 27, their daily issues will now only be published on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and they’ll be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

The Register and the Bulletin both said in nearly identical articles that “shifts in advertising trends, increasing newsprint costs, and the job market” are all contributing factors. The papers say you can still visit their digital platforms daily.

“The problem is not just that we’re seeing fewer copies per week of a newspaper, but there’s also in a lot of cases less local content,” said Virginia Tech communications professor Dr. James Ivory.

Advertising revenue, he says, isn’t what it was, and the subscription model isn’t raising money as fast as other revenues are falling.

“Newspapers, news, it’s like having water in your house,” said Dr. Ivory. “You take it for granted. You don’t notice it. You’re not willing to pay much for it, but when it’s gone you wish you had it.”

“The kind of journalism that supports and betters our society by keeping us informed and serving as a watchdog on institutions is declining in support, and that’s scary,” he said.

The future of print journalism is uncertain, and no one knows that better than student print journalists.

“Getting a job in this industry becomes worse every year,” said Shauna Muckle, a student at Washington and Lee, and the editor-in-chief of their independent student paper, The Ring-tum Phi.

“When we’re distributing the newspapers there’s always a question,” she explained. “Is anyone picking up the physical copy or are they just going to get thrown in the recycling bin? Versus, I think we have a more surefire way to obviously first of all gauge traffic with an article online and also the link is what gets shared.”

She says alumni subscriptions have been a boost for them, and Dr. Ivory agrees that subscription models are working for papers. However, consumers accustomed to free online content may not subscribe fast enough to make a difference.