Whither the Gay Press?

by Brian Leubitz

It is no secret that it is not fun to be a media company right now, but in the niche markets there’s a very mixed bag of success. Some ethnic papers are weathering the storm far better than their mainstream counterparts. However, that’s not really all that true of the LGBT press. As a group, we are more likely than the general public to be active internet users, and with all the blogs (this one included) available on the web, the friendly local gay publication tends to be forgotten.

This week it is the Chicago Free Press:

Chicago Free Press has folded after 11 years as one of two principal newspapers serving the city’s GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) community.

“Due to health problems, Publisher David Costanzo is no longer funding the operation of Chicago Free Press,” the paper’s managing editor, Kerrie Kennedy, said in an announcement. “Consequently, the paper’s April 29 issue was not published, and it is not expected that any additional issues will be published.”

The newspaper had appeared to be struggling since December, when several employees walked off the job saying they hadn’t been paid in weeks. (Editor and Publisher)

So, you all are big consumers of news and information on the internet, after all you are reading this. However, do you go out of your way to read the local LGBT publication? I’ll say that when I pass a box for the Bay Area Reporter, I usually grab one. And I read many of their stories online. These reporters are overworked and underpaid, as are much of the rest of the staff of these publications.

But we’re in an internet age. How important are these services and publications to you? I’ve always found that blogs and publications have a symbiotic relationship, at this point they need each other. But could you live without the gay “mainstream” press, as it were? What is the role for these folks in today’s economy and environment?