03/19/2026
Pittsburgh City Paper is BACK! 🐦🔥
You thought we were dead and gone, didn’t you? So did I. But to be honest, only very, very briefly.
When it was announced over New Year’s that Pittsburgh City Paper was shuttering, it took no time at all — barely 24 hours — for a groundswell of support to emerge. The city rallied. You guys shouted from the rooftops (and on the internet) that losing our only free alternative newspaper after 34 years was a huge gut-punch to Pittsburgh. It wasn’t surprising, then, that a buyer stepped forward with a plan, not just to keep the lights on, but to turn them up.
Today, I’m thrilled to announce to yinz that Pittsburgh City Paper is coming back, baby!
The City Paper you’ve loved and supported for more than three decades will return to your screens, and to the streets. That’s right — we’re relaunching both online and in print so we can reach the community digitally and IRL, showcasing the creative, weird, and uniquely Pittsburgh things you're doing.
You thought print was dead and gone, too, didn’t you? If City Paper is alive, so is print — beginning soon with monthly issues. Print is City Paper’s essence. A real-life, free, physical newspaper that keeps you informed and entertained with feature-length storytelling is the antidote we all need to noisy, meme-filled algorithms.
We’ll be back on all our beats: community-centered news, politics, protests, up-and-coming art, counterculture, events, food finds, opinionated rants, undie runs, jagoffs, and perhaps our favorite: roving adults-only vans. (IYKYK) Soon you can once again scroll through our newest stories, or get outside and find our latest issue at your corner coffee shop or bus stop. Wherever you are, we’re there, too.
We’re bolstered with new, local ownership, new ideas, and a new strategy that prioritizes the needs of our neighbors — with accountability, sustainability, and creative new projects.
We have what we need to get started, but we need you to join the party if we’re going to take this thing to the next level. We fell apart once, and to make sure that never happens again, we can’t rely on advertising alone. Your support matters most because your enthusiasm will unlock doors to resources that will keep us thriving for the long haul.
The best way to help is with a sustaining membership. While all our content, in print and online, will always be free, your contribution will ensure we keep going week after week, year after year.
A free press exists to create conversation and strengthen community. We can’t wait to get back to that — and to grow it bigger and better with you.
With immense gratitude and excitement,
-Ali Trachta
Executive Editor, Pittsburgh City Paper
