Wait for it…
From the get go the chances of new Pitch owners stumbling onto a pot-of-gold at the end of the alternative publishing rainbow were slim to none.
That said, with the Kansas City Star on the ropes, and little to nothing waiting in the wings to fill an already gaping local news gap, all things considered, what’s left of The Pitch is doing the unthinkable.
Slowly but surely it’s rising from the former newsweekly’s all-but-certain grave and unleashing a monthly mag that’s actually worthy of note. And trust me, that’s far from easy.
Do the math; far more worthy and successful alt zines like the Village Voice and Boston Phoenix have long since gone for their dirt naps. Meanwhile what’s left of Atlanta’s Creative Loafing and St. Louis’ Riverfront Times appear to hanging by a thread after multiple ownership changes.
Yet the Pitch – which never came close to the successes of those legacy alt weeklies – has been able in a single year to morph from a newsprint weekly into a high quality magazine.
Complete with interesting tales and takes that seem to somehow overcome the loss of immediacy as a monthly – no easy task that.
Not only was its recent “best of” issue an entertaining read, it had a fair handful of ads.
Go figure…
new Pitch owners
What it has so far been unable to do is serve up much in the way of actual news.
That’s a tough task, given its likely highly limited resources, especially after bidding adieu to most of the staff. As evidenced by the unloading of its URL and the addition of a “word to readers” at the end of every story online, begging for financial contributions from readers to help keep the ship of state afloat.
Check it:
“A word to our readers:
For nearly 40 years, The Pitch has served as the independent voice of Kansas City — a source of investigative reporting, unflinching political commentary, and street-level arts and culture coverage. We have always been free, whether in print or online, and we intend to remain so. Unfortunately, online advertising alone cannot sustain the kind of independent local journalism to which Pitch readers have been accustomed for the better part of the last four decades.
If you appreciate what we do, we hope you will consider making a financial contribution, which you can do by clicking the ‘Support Us’ button in the bottom-right-hand corner of your screen. It takes less than a minute, and your generosity will help us continue to produce vital, progressive, and honest journalism in the city we all love. Thank you.”
That’s arguably, kind of lame, but if Wikipedia can do it, why not the Pitch?
So consider this a nod to what new Pitch owners have been able to accomplish despite ridiculously difficult odds. They’re still a long way from getting out of the woods, but one has to admire their pluck.
