 The June 26, 2016 edition of the Riverfront Times | |
| Type | Alternative weekly |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | Big Lou Holdings LLC |
| Editor | Sarah Fenske (2015–2019) Doyle Murphy (2019 – February 2022) Rosalind Early (March 2022 – present) |
| Founded | 1977; 48 years ago (1977) |
| Headquarters | St. Louis,Missouri,U.S. |
| Circulation | 81,276 weekly |
| Website | riverfronttimes |
TheRiverfront Times (RFT) was a free progressiveweekly newspaper inSt. Louis,Missouri, that consisted of local politics, music, arts, and dining news in the print edition, and daily updates toblogs and photo galleries on its website. As of June 2008,[update] theRiverfront Times had anABC-audited weekly circulation of 81,276 copies.[1] A 2024 sale immediately ended print distribution and laid off all staff. The website primarily features aggregated content andOnlyFans promotions.[2]
The paper was founded in 1977 by Ray Hartmann[3][4] who, along with co-owner Mark Vittert, sold the newspaper in 1998 to New Times Media[5][6][7] (later known, following a 2006 merger, asVillage Voice Media).[8][9] In September 2012, Village Voice Media executives Scott Tobias, Christine Brennan and Jeff Mars agreed to purchase Village Voice Media's papers and associated web properties from its founders and formedVoice Media Group.[10] In 2015,Euclid Media Group acquired theTimes from Voice Media Group.[11]
The paper has received more than three dozen awards from theMissouri Press Association, along with the group's Gold Cup.[12] The paper and website also currently feature a weeklysyndicated column by relationship and sexadvice writerDan Savage. In the past, the paper carried Chuck Sheppard'sNews of the Weird column. Former journalists that wrote for the paper include Suzanne Langlois, who won the 1994 Con Lee Kelliher award for distinguished achievement.[13]
In June 2019, editor-in-chief Sarah Fenske announced her departure after being selected to hostSt. Louis on the Air onSt. Louis Public Radio.[14] News editor Doyle Murphy was selected as interim editor-in-chief.[15] Murphy served as editor-in-chief until he announced in the February 9, 2022, edition that he would be leaving the paper to work forSt. Louis Public Radio.[16] Ben Westhoff, the executive editor of Euclid Media Group,[17] served as interim editor-in-chief[18] following Murphy's resignation, but announced on February 24, 2022, that Rosalind Early, who was then serving as deputy managing editor forWashington Magazine atWashington University in St. Louis, would be the paper's next editor in chief, starting in March.
In August 2023, Euclid Media Group dissolved and the newspaper was sold to Chris Keating, operating under the name Big Lou Holdings LLC.[19] The paper was sold again in May 2024 to an unnamed buyer and all staff were laid off.[20][21]
