The scope of the media landscape has been in heightened flux in recent years.
Some tri-state publications that people enjoyed reading for years in print versions have exited the world, as either folded into another publication or having ceased altogether.
Some people lament losing a favorite newspaper or magazine, as in sort of losing a valued friend, where they could get key information they liked.
This What’s The Frequency is devoted to a change in the functioning of The Weekender, which since 1999 has been on newsstands or convenience stores. The Weekender has been an arts and entertainment publication, telling about the music, plays, movies, community events, and in essence, what is just going in the next days ahead.
The Weekender isn’t completely dying, but as of March no longer will be printed by Journal Communications, as many of its arts and culture features move into the website.
For me, as a lover of holding physical media, that means my eyes won’t be drawn to seeing it in a grocery store, and again, being solely on a website puts The Weekender pretty much in the out-of-sight, out-0f-mind.
To bring you up to speed with what’s what with The Weekender, longtime employees, editors and writers for The Weekender, with Thomas Ritchie and Earl Horlyk chewed over many memories of their work and care and strong regard for serving readers.
Ritchie was Editor of The Weekender from 2000 to 2004.
Many also know Earl from a side gig here at Siouxland Public Media with his weekly "MixTape Dance Party" show, which is heading towards an eighth year.
The two men describe the genesis for the Weekender in 1999, and the niche it sought to fill, which was to let people in the Sioux City metro area on the many community events and arts pieces about which they should know — from movies, musicals, plays, festivals, music bands and venues.
Horlyk and Ritchie discuss the irreverence in tone and wording of the writing, and topics and the leeway with which they wrote.
They each ponder back to their favorite Weekender articles, as I share mine, which involved editor Jesse Claeys describing his first-person pursuit of hitchiking up to the Okoboji area, plus also the passion with which Chris Braunschweig covering the live music scene in the 2010s.
Recalling a few George Plimpton-adjacent pursuits, Horlyk said, "We were weird that way."
*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 97.
