Riverfront Times Kaput In STL

For all of Missouri, this news of another weekly mag shuttering is sad and reveals even more challenges confronting independent publishers in the social media era. 

Kansas City's alt mag doesn't publish much anymore and brags about 36 skinny pages. It's mostly a trust fund project but, thankfully, they do churn out a few decent stories and we hear their events are still really great and what keeps the KC hipster publication going.

Meanwhile . . .

Across the state line the situation is getting even bleaker for print media amid the end of an alt. institution that was "woke" for decades before it went broke . . . Check-it:

The RFT's first print edition hit the streets in November 1977 and for decades, the alt-weekly served as a catch-all for stories featuring the people, food and music of St. Louis, as well as long-form stories focusing on and often exposing issues in St. Louis.

Several staff members announced on social media that they had been laid off and that the paper would cease production.

The RFT "is officially dead,” wrote staff writer Kallie Cox on X. “I can say this is the best paper I’ve ever had the pleasure of working at.”

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Riverfront Times sale and layoff of news staff signals end of 46-year era for St. Louis alt-weekly

"Devastating for St. Louis," says former editor Sarah Fenske. Big Lou Media, which acquired the RFT in 2023, has sold the publication to an undisclosed buyer.