Live dead
Posted By Carlo on May 18, 2009
Northern Ohio Live, a magazine I’ve written for on-and-off for nearly 20 years, is dead. RightUp Media, which took it over from founder John Schambach three years ago, closed May 15, pulling the plug on the bimonthly and laying off the whole staff.
For now, the website remains, offering readers a look at the kinds of articles the magazine specialized in: stories about various media, my City Therapy column, editor Sarah Sphar’s welcome to summer, a voluminous, mouth-watering gourmet guide by associate editor Ivan Sheehan. It’s good reading.
I hope a publisher, former or new, resurrects Live and is willing to be patient and gamble on monetizing a medium that seems quaint but still is necessary: the leisurely, thoughtful read. The best example of that is The New Yorker, a weekly marvel that never ceases to astonish.
But every locale of any size needs such a publication. To me, Live always represented an opportunity to trumpet and safeguard and interpret what is best about Cleveland’s culture. I hope I don’t miss it too long.
Nice job you’ve done on your site – are you having fun with it? It’s interesting and well worth the time to visit.