The struggling Duluth, Minn., alternative newsweekly marked its fifth birthday by announcing that the Dec. 30 issue would be its last weekly one. In February, Ripsaw will be recast as a glossy monthly arts and news magazine. By adding more local news and coverage of the symphony and ballet, the publication hopes to appeal to readers in their 40s and 50s as well as its present core audience of 18- to 35-year-olds, Publisher/Editor Brad Nelson tells the Duluth News Tribune. News Tribune Publisher Marti Buscaglia sees an opportunity to lure some of Ripsaw's young readers back to the daily paper. (The News Tribune Web site doesn't permit a direct link to the article.)
Brad Nelson, the 33-year-old founder, editor and publisher of Duluth, Minnesota’s Ripsaw News, moonlights as the drummer for the blues-rocking Black-Eyed Snakes. Although he occasionally leaves the paper for weeks at a time to join the band on tour, Ripsaw has helped revitalize the city’s small indie scene and raised its political awareness.
Alternative newsweeklies have found myriad ways to team up with competitors for lucrative cross-promotional arrangements. Radio is perhaps the most common partner for alt-weeklies and music events the most frequent vehicle for cooperation, Ann Hinch writes for AAN News. Television and even print, however, have been mined by AAN members “to reach a broader audience and more diverse demographic.”
