''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

published every Thursday in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic. The newspaper reported a weekly readership of 545,500. It is part of the

Association of Alternative Newsmedia The Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) is a trade association of alternative weekly newspapers in North America. It provides services to many generally liberal or progressive weekly newspapers across the United States and in Canada. A ...

and it emulates the typical publications of the 1960s

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

movement.

History

The ''Chronicle'' was co-founded in 1981 by

Nick Barbaro Nick Barbaro (born Nicolo Rafael Barbaro; 1952) is co-creator of the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival and co-founder of ''The Austin Chronicle''. Barbaro's contributions have helped define the Austin, Texas music community. He co-owns the South ...

and

Louis Black Louis Black is a co-founder of '' The Austin Chronicle'', an alternative weekly newspaper published in Austin, Texas, and was the newspaper's editor from its inception until his retirement on August 8, 2017. He has written over 600 articles i ...

, with assistance from others who largely met through the graduate film studies program at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

. Barbaro and Black are also co-founders of the

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

Festival, although the festival operates as a separate company. The paper initially was published bi-weekly, and later weekly. Its precursor in style and format was the ''

Austin Sun The ''Austin Sun'' was a biweekly counterculture newspaper, similar in nature to ''Rolling Stone'' during the latter's formative years, that was published in Austin, Texas, between 1974 and 1978."Chapter 1: Before the Beginning - September 1981 - August 1982"

Oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...

of the ''Austin Chronicle'', September 7, 2001; www.austinchronicle.com. The first issue of the ''Chronicle'' was distributed on September 4, 1981. With a progressive point of view and irreverent voice, the ''Chronicle'' covers local and state news as well as the Austin food, film, theater, art and music communities. The paper also has a number of annual features, including the 'Best of Austin' awards, cut-out masks for

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

, the

April Fools' April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may b ...

edition, and the First Plates Restaurant Awards. The ''Chronicle'' produces the annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, normally held in late August.

Characteristics of its working methods

It is a profit-oriented business that receives income from advertisements. The newspaper endorses electoral candidates and its reporters check official sources.

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Austin Chronicle, The Alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States Newspapers published in Austin, Texas Newspapers established in 1981 1981 establishments in Texas Weekly newspapers published in Texas