What Does the Future Hold for America’s Alt-Weeklies?

Two years after the pandemic shuttered a wave of alternative-weekly publishers across the country, the industry has emerged from the near-death experience leaner, wiser and, in some cases, radically transformed. In a bid to survive the overnight disappearance of their advertising business, many alt-weeklies experimented with a variety of new business tactics, including launching membership models, transitioning to nonprofit status and modernizing their digital infrastructure. “Publishers are feeling optimistic,” said Graham Jarrett, president of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. “They are experimenting with new revenue models, growing more diverse and evolving in a really serious way.” Now, as small businesses reopen and advertising spend returns, alt-weeklies have found themselves at an inflection point, eager to build upon the success of their pandemic pivots while taking pains to preserve the egalitarian spirit that defines the industry. As publishers of all stripes grapple with the same calculus—balancing financial sustainability with accessibility—the solutions of the alternative press could serve as a valuable case study for the media industry writ large. Reader revenue without a paywall Printed, free and distributed in cultural centers in cities across the U.S., alt-weeklies have historically taken great pains to ensure the accessibility of their publications. That ethos discouraged many of the publishers from erecting paywalls or charging for their content, but the transition to digital has put a growing strain on that strategy. When the pandemic struck, publishers like the Willamette Week responded by launching membership programs, asking readers for donations to support them through the lean times. By the end of 2020, more than 7,200 readers had become Friends of Willamette, and their donations totaled more than $450,000. The revenue was a lifeline for the Oregon alt-weekly, which lost between 60% and 70% of its revenue in the first half of the year. Members who donate receive no perks, special access or token merchandise, said publisher Mark Zusman. Still, the outpouring of support suggested that the alt-weekly had left a reserve of support untapped for decades, and the publisher has since made its membership program a more concerted focus. “With alt-weeklies, the problem was never their content model—it was their business model,” said media analyst Brian Morrissey. “And in trying to find a new business model that works, there are more paths now than ever if you are a brand at the center of a community.” The perks of being a nonprofit In the face of financial pressure, some publishers have responded by transitioning into nonprofits, a move that allows them to raise funding from philanthropic institutions and major donors. The Chicago Reader, an alt-weekly that has served the Illinois metropolis for more than 50 years, began the process of converting to a nonprofit one month before the pandemic struck. That timing helped the publication weather a financial blight that saw 90% of its advertising revenue evaporate, according to publisher Tracy Baim. The Reader has since encountered an internal schism that has prevented it from attaining full nonprofit status—the controversy itself is a case study in the perils of donor influence—but the publisher was still able to raise funds through the nonprofit it created and plans to merge with it in the coming weeks. Through these efforts, the alt-weekly reduced its reliance on advertising by 45%, down from 90% in 2020. New product, same spirit While publishers such as these found creative ways to retool existing products, the team at Racket in Minneapolis–Saint Paul gained traction by starting from scratch. The alt-weekly does not resemble its peers—with no print copy and a hard paywall, the new publication challenges the notion of what makes an alt-weekly an alt-weekly. Racket is charting a new path for alt-weeklies as an online-only publication with a paywall. But the subscription-based publisher started by four alt-weekly veterans combines the sharp-elbowed reporting of its predecessor, City Pages, with a digital-only presence that positions it as a far more modern iteration of the genre. Unburdened by the expenses of print and fueled by reader revenue, the burgeoning alt-weekly has the build of a modern media company. The publisher aims to reach profitability by next year, a benchmark it pegs at 4,000 subscribers, thanks in part to its low overhead and its mix of subscriptions and advertising. While other alt-weeklies have hesitated to embrace the digital transition, Racket sees its lightweight model as an advantage both to readers and its bottom line. “Readers associate alt-weeklies with certain hallmarks—a square piece of newsprint in a rack at a dive bar—but what really defines an alt-weekly is the people who make it,” said Em Cassel, co-founder of Racket. “The pandemic brought more people online, and we want to meet them there.”

Publishing News

What Does the Future Hold for America’s Alt-Weeklies?

After a wave of pandemic closures, the industry plots a new path forward

Mark Stenberg

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Mark Stenberg