The rough-and-tumble economy was not kind to either large or small publications. Recently, one of the country’s oldest and most influential black-owned newspapers hit another rough patch.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Chicago Defender laid off a sixth of its staff this week, including its remaining editors. The Defender once claimed a large national audience but circulation fell in recent years. To cut costs a few years ago, the paper switched from daily to weekly publication.

Are the Defender’s woes a sign of the times for black media in general?

Cultural commentator and Jet contributor Kyra Kyles spoke with Eight Forty-Eight to assess the state of black media in Chicago.