PORTLAND, ME – Dig Publishing, LLC (parent company of alt-weekly media company Dig Boston) announced today that it will be launching a new company called Dig Portland.

According to Dig Publishing owner Jeff Lawrence, Dig Portland “will be 100% locally focused and operated, delivering alt-weekly news, arts, and entertainment coverage to a young demographic across print, digital, social media, email, and live event channels.”

With the Phoenix Media Group recently announcing its intention to sell its Portland, Maine, paper to outside buyers, “The timing is right,” said Associate Publisher Marc Shepard. “Beginning with the launch of the Casco Bay Weekly in 1988, Portland has been a welcoming home to the alt-weekly style of local media for over 25 years. We’re proud and extremely excited about the opportunity to keep that voice alive with Dig Portland,” Shepard said.

Despite the recent closings of some alternative news media outlets around the region and country, Lawrence stated emphatically that the industry is very strong, healthy and still growing.
While no other specific details about the Dig Portland launch were provided, Lawrence added, “We’ll be releasing more information and a launch date in the coming days, so stay tuned.”