READ: Last Words: Boston Phoenix closes today after 47 years. By Editor in Chief Carly Carioli.

The following statement from Phoenix publisher Stephen M. Mindich was circulated to staffers earlier today:

I can state with certainty that this is the single most difficult communication I've ever had to deliver and there's no other way to state it than straightforwardly -

We were notified at 2 pm today that the issue of the Boston Phoenix on stands today is the last one we will ever publish.

The timing comes as a shock, but the news isn't a surprise. We're less than a year into an experiment launched last fall to turn a 46 year old alternative weekly newspaper into a weekly magazine. By every measure not related to advertising sales, it has been a success.