The ''Metro Spirit'', now defunct, was a free
alternative news weekly in
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...
(
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
) covering local entertainment, events and culture. The paper was widely available at newsstands across the Augusta area with an estimated circulation of 19,000 at its peak. The publication became a member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN), a group of newspapers and magazines across the U.S. providing journalism that offers an alternative to local mainstream media, in 2007 with the editorial team led by Editor- Tom Grant.
Originally monikered “Metropolitan Spirit”, the paper was launched in 1989 by local entrepreneur David Vantrease. Following a purchase by Portico Publications out of Charlottesville, VA in 2003, the publication was rebranded and published under several different acting publishers based in Augusta during its tenure: Joe White, Amber Carlson, Bryan Osborne, and Matt Plocha. Then with no Augusta based publisher, the paper was ran out of the Charlottesville headquarters, with staff working locally in Augusta. On March 2, 2011, publishing was suspended by Portico, citing lack of financial performance. ''The Spirit'' resumed publishing April 14, under former publisher turned owner, Joe White. It operated in print for several years and eventually moved to digital format only, where editors opined on local happenings. The outlet's last story post appears to have been shared on Facebook in December 2020.
The paper launched a website around 1996, which is now inactive.
See also
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Media in Augusta, Georgia
Media outlets in the Augusta, Georgia (United States) market include eight television stations, 24 FM radio stations, nine AM radio stations, one Internet radio station and numerous print media.
Television
All broadcast television stations are ...
References
External links
Official website
Mass media in Augusta, Georgia
Alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States
Free newspapers
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