ST. LOUIS, January 30, 2003 – St. Louis native and award-winning editor Tom Finkel has been hired as the new editor-in-chief of St. Louis’ Riverfront Times, New Times Media announced today.

Outgoing RFT editor Jim Nesbitt is leaving the paper in February to pursue other opportunities.

For Finkel, the job in St. Louis will represent a return to the New Times fold. He was hired as a staff writer at Miami New Times in 1989 and was promoted to managing editor at that publication in 1991. After six years as the managing editor in Miami, Finkel left to become the lead editor at the City Pages weekly in Minneapolis from 1998 to 2002.

Finkel will start in St. Louis on March 3.

“I’m thrilled to be able to move back to my hometown and be a part of the Riverfront Times,” said Finkel. “It’s a great job in a great city, and my family and I are really looking forward to getting reacquainted with the place.”

Finkel grew up in the University City area and graduated from Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1985. He received a master of arts in creative writing from Brown University in 1988.

During Finkel’s tenure in Minneapolis, his writers brought home numerous state and national writing awards, including the PEN Center USA West Literary Award, the James Beard Award, various awards from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, and a Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award for general excellence. As a writer, Finkel has also been honored as a national finalist in the Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards and the James Beard Awards.

Finkel and his wife, Karen Tedesco, have two young children.

In addition to the Riverfront Times, New Times publishes alternative newsweeklies in Phoenix, Denver, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Oakland/Berkeley, Cleveland and Kansas City.