The 19,000-circulation Tracy Press announced today that it is dropping its Tuesday and Thursday editions and will now print just three days a week — Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. A “to our readers” note from Publisher Bob Matthews and Editor Cheri Matthews said:

We don’t take this change lightly. We know some of you would prefer to have the paper delivered to your home every day. But it’s a new world in the newspaper business, and we’re embracing it as quickly as we can, with the resources we have. Economic necessity is driving this decision as much as the changing realities and challenges of the business we’re in. If we could deliver the printed newspaper every day, we would. But it no longer makes economic sense for us to do so.

They emphasized that the paper’s Web site, www.tracypress.com, would be updated seven days a week.

The 109-year-old, family-owned paper evolved over the years from a weekly to a twice a week paper, and then, in 1986, to a five-day daily, according to the Tracy Press Web site. In 1995, it added a Saturday edition. Last year, the Tracy Press dropped its Monday edition and returned to a five-day publishing schedule (Tuesday-Saturday). The Record competes with Dean Singleton’s Tri-Valley Herald and Dow Jones’ Stockton Record. In June 2006, it switched from paid circulation to free delivery to local homes.