CityBeat was born in November 1994 with a simple but powerful idea: Cincinnati deserved an independent voice. One willing to tell the stories of communities too often overlooked and conversations that didn’t fit neatly into anyone else’s pages, and it quickly became a home for stories that were bold, unexpected and unapologetically local.
For 31 years, CityBeat has covered Cincinnati’s wins and losses, its music and meals, its politics and protests, its artists and agitators. They did it with a wink when it was warranted, a raised eyebrow when it was necessary and a full heart always. Along the way, they earned national, statewide and local journalism and design awards (including being named Ohio’s Best Weekly Paper by the Society of Professional Journalists in 2005) but what has mattered most isn’t the awards. It’s the trust.
Through multiple ownership changes — the first sale to SouthComm Communications in 2012, another to Euclid Media Group in 2018 and finally, to Big Lou Holdings in 2023 — the mission never wavered. CityBeat’s editorial staff remained committed to fearless local storytelling and a stubborn belief that independent journalism is critical to community health.
In December, LINK Media, the company I run, bought CityBeat, returning it to local ownership for the first time in more than a decade.
That matters.
Local journalism works best when it is rooted in the community it serves. LINK Media’s corporate mission is simple: strengthen vibrant communities through independent, sustainable local journalism. For CityBeat, that means doubling down on what they’ve always done best, while sharpening our focus on what Cincinnati needs most right now.
Our mission is clear: CityBeat serves Cincinnati with independent local journalism that informs our readers, elevates unheard voices and keeps our community vibrant.
That isn’t just a sentence we framed and hung on a wall. It’s a daily charge.
It means we don’t just report what happened. We ask why it happened, and what happens next. We believe in solutions-focused journalism, digging into not only the problems facing Cincinnati but how this community might solve them. We know our readers are smart. You don’t just want outrage. You want information you can act on.
It means we are unapologetic Cincinnati fans. We believe in this city — in what it is and what it can be. Loving a place doesn’t mean ignoring its flaws. It means caring enough to hold it accountable and investing in its future. We want to see Cincinnati advance, and we understand the role independent journalism plays in that progress.
It means being inclusive—not as a buzzword, but as a responsibility. Cincinnati is not one story. It is many stories, and those stories have changed significantly in the past 31 years. Our job is to reflect the full complexity of this place: across neighborhoods, across backgrounds, across perspectives. We are committed to giving voice to communities that have too often been spoken about instead of listened to.
It means being good stewards. Strong local journalism doesn’t exist without sustainability. The CityBeat we bought was struggling mightily. We are committed to rebuilding a business model that allows CityBeat to serve this community not just this year, but decades from now. Independence requires durability.
And yes, it means being independent. CityBeat does not make political endorsements. We are committed to fact-based reporting on the issues facing Cincinnati. We will seek outside opinions from multiple viewpoints and clearly label them as such. Our role is not to tell you what to think. It is to provide the information (and the robust debate) our community needs to make informed decisions about our shared future.
Some things, though, will never change.
We’ll still cover the restaurant openings and the up-and-coming bands. We’ll still spotlight the artists, organizers and everyday Cincinnatians who make this place vibrant. We’ll still be curious. We’ll still be a little irreverent. We’ll still call it like we see it.
But at the core of everything is this: CityBeat belongs to Cincinnati.
It belongs to the readers who have picked it up for three decades. It belongs to the small businesses that have advertised in its pages. It belongs to the musicians, chefs, activists and public servants who have trusted us to tell their stories. And it belongs to the next generation of Cincinnatians who deserve a strong, independent publication covering the city they’re inheriting.
Thirty-one years in, we are proud of where CityBeat has been.
And we’re even more excited about where we’re headed.