As the March  issue went to press I had to make a very difficult decision: barring some unforeseen development, this will be the final issue of Midtown Monthly.  At the very least it will be the final edition with me at the helm.

Some readers may know that our sister publication, Capitol Weekly, ceased publication of their print edition on January 12. After 23 years, the Weekly now exists as an online-only publication, a reflection of the difficulties of maintaining a print operation in the age of the internet.

While Capitol Weekly and Midtown Monthly are separate publications, they did share infrastructure: ad sales staff, accounting, art direction, printing, even office space.  With the elimination of Capitol Weekly’s print edition came a corresponding reduction in sales staff, an office move, and a significant change in our printing costs.

We’ve spent the past six weeks checking and rechecking numbers, talking with potential investors and exploring options to keep Midtown going.  As we go to print, I don’t believe that any of the options we’ve looked at can make the numbers work.  And after five years of ignoring those numbers, the time has finally come to listen.

I’m sad, but I’m also proud.  I’m proud of the work that our contributors have done.  I’m proud of the contribution that Midtown Monthly has made to the public narrative of Sacramento. I’m proud that we spotlighted a side of Sacramento that is often ignored, or even maligned.  I’m proud that in over five years I’ve never published anything I didn’t stand behind.

It’s been an amazing way to spend five years, and I’m thankful to have had the privilege.

As always – thanks for picking us up.

Tim Foster
Editor, Midtown Monthly

March 5th, 2012 | Posted in Blog | 26 Comments