Chicago Reader was acquired by Noisy Creek, a media company founded by Brady Walkinshaw, following years of financial struggles and a near-closure in early 2025. The Reader will maintain editorial control and remain hyper-local with local leadership and partners. Noisy Creek plans to provide capital and a sustainability model combining advertising, subscriptions, events revenue, and philanthropic support. Noisy Creek previously acquired The Stranger and the Portland Mercury, helping them resume print editions in April after pandemic-driven pauses. The organization will expand staff from about 55 to 80 and leverage EverOut and Bold Type Tickets to diversify revenue and strengthen venue and artist support.
After years of financial struggles and narrowly avoiding closure at the start of 2025, the Chicago Reader is getting another lifeline. On Tuesday, the nonprofit alt-weekly known for covering arts and culture in the city announced it had been acquired by Noisy Creek, a media company founded last year by Brady Walkinshaw, the former CEO of climate news site Grist and a former Washington state representative.
Noisy Creek appears to have helped stabilize its acquired publications. The Stranger and the Mercury both resumed publishing print editions this past April, five years after they'd halted issues due to pandemic-induced advertising revenue loss. Walkinshaw envisions local media achieving financial sustainability through a mix of advertising, subscription, and events revenue, as well as philanthropic support, he told Chicago Tribune reporter (and 2025 Nieman Fellow) Darcel Rockett.
Collection
[
|
...
]