Dylan Brogan
Isthmus is back
We have wanted to write these words every day for 15 months: The print edition of Isthmus is coming back!
Madison’s favorite alt-weekly for more than four decades will return as a monthly publication on Aug. 5. It never would have happened without the unwavering support from so many of our loyal readers. Thank you!
Today, we are also rolling out our new Isthmus Membership Program. By joining you will gain exclusive access to members-only newsletters and events but, more importantly, you will be part of a community effort to support fact-based, independent local journalism that is free and accessible to all.
With your help, we will ramp up our news, arts, food and cultural coverage in the coming months. Read more about our new membership program here. And email isthmus@isthmus.com if you have any questions.
We know you shared our heartache on March 19, 2020, when Isthmus announced that it would “go dark” and cease print production. Our editorial, sales and administrative staff — including many employees who had worked for Isthmus for decades — were suddenly without a job as the state went into an unprecedented lockdown to prevent the spread of a still-mysterious virus called COVID-19. Little did we know then the toll that the pandemic would take here and around the world.
We confess, there were plenty of dark days when it seemed like Isthmus would never recover. But the Madison community didn’t give up on us and that inspired us — a core group of Isthmus staffers — to keep trying even if it meant volunteering for months on end to save the paper. We never truly went dark. We continued to provide coverage on our website of the historic protests over police violence, the economic fallout of the pandemic, and the rise of virtual events. We were lucky to welcome Tamia Fowlkes, a UW-Madison journalism student, as a Google News Fellow and continue a long tradition at Isthmus of helping train the next generation of journalists. And because of a grant from the American Press Institute and a partnership with WORT 89.9 FM, Isthmus was even able to cover the 2020 presidential election.
Throughout those months, hundreds of readers helped us weather the storm by opening their hearts and their pocketbooks. Former owners Jeff Haupt and Craig Bartlett generously gifted Isthmus’ intellectual property rights so we could become a nonprofit organization and establish a more sustainable financial model for local journalism. It took months of planning and help from countless members of our community, former employees, our board of directors and new friends, but we have built a solid foundation and could not be more excited to start this new chapter of Isthmus.
Look for us the first Thursday of every month in your supermarket, cafe or local retail store. We have not ruled out one day returning to a weekly publication schedule, but we have an obligation to rebuild responsibly to ensure Isthmus thrives for another four decades.
This is only the beginning of a new, better Isthmus that Madison deserves. We need you to continue to be a part of this journey. Please join our membership program here and become part of the Isthmus community. Thank you again for helping us get us this far!
