Racket (Minnesota)
Type | News website |
---|---|
Owner(s) | Writer-owned |
Founded | 2021 |
Language | English |
Headquarters | St. Paul, Minnesota |
Website | www |
The Racket is a writer-owned, reader-funded website founded in 2021 by a group of former City Pages editors: Jessica Armbruster, Jay Boller, Em Cassel, and Keith Harris. Racket focuses on local news, politics, music, arts, culture, food and drink, and theater in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.[1][2][3]
The previous funding model used by Racket's predecessor City Pages, as well as most alt-weekly newspapers, depended largely on advertising, but Racket's founders felt that this model was outmoded. Instead, it is funded largely by reader subscriptions, a model inspired by the earlier success of Defector Media.[3] Racket reported in 2024 that it had generated $322,000 in revenue over the previous year, including $242,000 from subscriptions.[4]
In 2024, Racket won five Page One Awards, given annually for outstanding journalism by the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. These included first-place wins for Best Interview (Keith Harris for “My Teen Niece Helps Explain the Taylor Swift Show I Saw on Saturday”) and A&E/Culture Criticism/Reviews (Harris for “I Saw 30 Concerts in 30 Days”).[5] Racket also won four Page One awards in 2003, including first place for Arts & Entertainment Reporting (Jay Boller for “How Music Streaming Impacts Minnesota Musicians“).[6]
References
[edit]- ^ McLaughlin, Shaymus. "New alt news site from former City Pages editors launches this month". Bring Me The News. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ "Annoying the people that need to be annoyed: What to expect from Racket, the new media outlet founded by four ex-City Pages editors". MinnPost. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Racket joins a rising tide of journalist-owned media startups". Nieman Lab. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Cassel, Em (July 31, 2024). "Racket's Year in Review: August 2023-July 2024". Racket. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
- ^ "MNSPJ 2024 Page One Awards Winners". Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. June 18, 2024. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
- ^ "MNSPJ 2023 Page One Awards Winners". Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. July 27, 2023. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
External links
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