The Twin Cities has one less player in the shrinking world of alt media.
Dispatch, the Twin Cities A&E publication, goes on hiatus
The newspaper launched in April 2022.
August 7, 2023 at 8:04PM
Dispatch, a publication dedicated to local arts and entertainment, has announced that it is on hiatus. The latest issue, which went on newsstands in July, is the last one for the near future.
Dispatch grew out of Secrets of the City, which had run in The Rake and Mpls.St.Paul magazine. Owner Taylor Carik had big plans when he decided last year to simultaneously put out both a digital and print edition. Over the course of 29 issues, Dispatch celebrated everything from sober artists to cult-movie screenings. It also recruited DJ Mary Lucia to contribute the column, Popular Creeps and helped organize the wildly popular Taste of Minnesota this summer.
But ultimately, the marketplace couldn't sustain the publication. Carik said potential advertisers were still trying to adjust to a post-pandemic world. And subscriptions were not strong enough to keep up with operating expenses.
As of last month, 15,000 copies of Dispatch were being distributed in almost 800 locations.
"We couldn't scale up fast enough," said Carik, who added that the project had been breaking even financially.
Carik said Dispatch could return at some point. He is currently in "assessment" mode.
