Portland Mercury

American alternative weekly newspaper From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Portland Mercury

Portland Mercury is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called The Stranger.[2]

Quick Facts Type, Format ...
Portland Mercury
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TypeAlternative bi-weekly
FormatTabloid
Owner(s)Brady Walkinshaw
PublisherRob Thompson
EditorWm. Steven Humphrey
FoundedJune 2000
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters115 SW Ash St., Suite 600
Portland, OR 97204
USA
Circulation45,000 (as of June 2014)[1]
Websiteportlandmercury.com
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History

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A prior version of The Mercury was published from 1869 and into the 1930s. The current Portland Mercury launched in June 2000.[3] The paper describes their readership as "affluent urbanites in their 20s and 30s."[4] Its long-running rivalry with Willamette Week began before its first issue was even printed when Willamette Week publisher Richard Meeker asked a Portland law firm to pay $10 to register the Mercury name with Oregon's Corporation Division, thus preventing it from being used for 120 days.[5]

As of 2020, the newspaper's revenue was almost entirely dependent on advertising and sales of tickets for events and concerts with nearly 95% of its revenue coming from advertisements.[6][7]

Former managing editor Phil Busse's controversial tenure included charges of plagiarism, a favorable review for a restaurant that hadn't yet opened, a bid for mayor, and a cover featuring him wearing women's underwear, dollops of whipped cream, and a hard hat.[8] Shrill, a television series based on Seattle-based writer Lindy West’s memoir and essay collection of the same name, was inspired by The Stranger and Portland Mercury and starred actress Aidy Bryant.[9] The paper has also published articles and columns written by Chuck Palahniuk and Dan Savage.[10][11]

Portland Mercury's print edition was published weekly until fall 2018[12] when it changed to bi-weekly beginning with the issue released on September 13, 2018.[13] Its name as displayed on the nameplate was shortened to just Mercury as well.[12][14]

On March 14, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper temporarily suspended print publication and switched to online only.[15] In addition, it laid off 10 employees, which comprised half of the publication's staff.[16][17] A special newsstand edition, titled 'Say Nice Things About Portland: A Manifesto,' was released in May 2023. It was Portland Mercury's first print publication since the beginning of the pandemic.[18]

In July 2024, the paper, along with the related The Stranger were sold by Index Media to Noisy Creek, a media company founded by Brady Walkinshaw.[19]

References

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