Baltimore’s City Paper Publishes Final Edition
The City Paper in Baltimore closed after 40 years as the city’s alternative weekly newspaper.
Prior to the decision, the owner, Sun Media Group, had discussed selling the paper with “multiple entities,” according to Renee Mutchnik, a company spokeswoman as reported in The Sun.
The Sun reports that it does plan to start distributing a free weekly version of the Wknd entertainment section published each Friday. The free version will be available on the street each Thursday and include local entertainment news, weekend events, movie and dining reviews and puzzles.
The Sun report noted that circulation is falling for alternative weeklies that remain, according to June figures from Pew Research Center that show the average circulation for the top 20 U.S. alt-weeklies fell 6 percent in 2016 to just more than 61,000.
“The City Paper to me was a much-needed alternative voice that covered the things I was interested in doing in Baltimore,” said filmmaker John Waters in the Sun report. “It had a voice, and it caused trouble. … They really were investigative and covered unpopular subjects. I didn’t always agree, but I liked that they were there to cause trouble and to question.”
The Capitol Communicator reported on the decision to close when it was announced in July.
