Till recent, I was a daily subscriber for nearly 2 decades and decided to end my subscription. The…read moreColumbus Dispatch was once a very good newspaper, best in the State. In the last few years, the quality of the local reporting, the consistent very left leaning editorials and reliance on dated filler articles from the AP have really impacted for the worse. Their coverage of the Trump administration is so awful and one sided. I have not read a single positive story involving the President since he took office. I am not his biggest fan either. Several of their recent stories, such as the family murdered in Southeast Ohio were written so poorly with misplaced pronouns that I had to read the story several times. I simply decided that I will rely on other papers such as the Wall Street Journal. The Journal cost more, but delivers more value. It's a shame the Dispatch has decided to go left, cut costs, and employ mediocre editing. Cities need local newspapers to keep politicians in check, report news fairly and share various viewpoints so the reader can be informed. Unfortunately, The Columbus Dispatch, much like the New York Times has decided in recent years to pick a side. If I wanted that, I would tune into Fox News, CNN, or MSNBC for free.

Horrible, horrible customer service. No way to reach a live person and chats are not helpful in…read moreresolving delivery issues. I have to go back and chat repeatedly to get a credit for a missed delivery. Our delivery person has no back-up, so when she is sick or has car trouble, we get no newspaper. I don't know how much longer I can put up with this nonsense.

The Short North Gazette is the ultimate chronicling agency in the Short North. For over twenty…read moreyears they've been pumping out detailed articles with corresponding pictures telling about every new business, every change in leadership, every district discussion, every everything. If you want to be in the know about the Short North, read the Gazette. Even better, if you need to go back in time to answer a question, use the Gazette's website. (Or just use it for fun; you'll learn a lot of interesting things.) The website has all the old articles, and though they're not 100% accurate, they're usually pretty close. Even when you do a Google search, the Gazette usually pops up between the first and third spot with an article. The website also has a great A-Z directory of businesses in the district. It's mostly up-to-date, and I like that they keep the addresses of old businesses on there for quite a while too or the old locations if a business moves. Sometimes that stuff comes in handy. The only bad things about the website are that the photos and info on the homepage don't change very often and the site itself has some pretty shoddy layout, but when you have a small staff, you don't have much time to focus your energy on a website. The hardcopy publication comes out once a month. I like the hardcopy print better just because I like being able to hold something tangible in my hands. I even like getting a little newsprint on me from time to time. But the web/hardcopy combo is helpful in many situations.

If you are in the neighborhood of the Short North and want to pick up a paper reflecting events…read morecurrently going on, but also want a feel for the history of this independently minded neighborhood, then you get all of that in the Short North Gazette.

It is easy to get the wrong idea about (614) (the parentheses are part of its name), the free…read moremagazine available monthly at various places in town; it is not a rag to discover what weekend events are happening, what band are playing where, nor will it get you free entry to a gouging strip club like say the extinct Other Paper did. Though they do have monthly schedules, smart phones have put an end to prints that specializes in only that. What it does, as magazines do, is publish feature articles; stories from a wider perspective and more in-depth than hard news. For me, its deeper coverage of Columbus' culture and goings-on is my feature writing supplement to columbusunderground hard info. Together I am out of the dark about the community's civic and cultural trends. The covers are always graphically and photographically eye-catching. They make the issues look glossy, an illusion as one touch reveals its lower grade paper stock, a fact not to be disparage for a free publication. Still the artistry of the illusion should be applauded; often with city landmarks transported behind animated avatars they appear like old super hero comics--the city behind rendered like Gotham. Their photos laid covers are just as well done. Articles are usually well written and edited, with various levels of sophistication and acumen, but never underserving; I appreciate the general artsy style here than the tranquilized tone of the Dispatch's Art Section The February 2016 addition is typical of what you will find every month: the story of a local musician battling back after break up of his former band due to a theft; an electrically written interview with the band Animal Collective; a look into the art competition involving the Arnold Sports Festival; A look at the annual Dude-a-thon at Studio 35; a look back at the NFL's roots in Columbus; and a great article viewing the benefits and challenges of the social enterprise model embarked by Hot Chicken Takeover and other businesses in town. Packed with info and interests, it was a joy to read. Ending each addition are short-short stories written by Columbus area writer showcasing the talent in town. (They also have poetry that I think misses, but I am picky about that art form.) I usually pick one up while eating after a long work week. It is a must for anyone interested in the city's culture.

There are a core group of publications that I must have by my bedside to find what's coming up and…read morethe latest Columbus news. This is one of them. (614) is published each month and is in a nice, large format that is full color and chock full of useful local information. The tone of the magazine is similar to 'Alive' but with a bit more refined flavor. For example, the April 2010 issue has articles on African restaurants around town next to articles on the best Columbus locations to buy a house and how to go about getting a good deal. Their events section is beautifully laid out with large descriptions of each event and pictures accompanying each one which makes it nice to see something other than an endless sea of type. The stories and events are Columbus centered so you have a good chance of seeing someone that you know (if not yourself) in its pages. I usually pick up (614) at Cup O'Joe but they are scattered all about town with a high concentration in the Short North. But pick one up fast as they go quickly!!

I'm not sure why I've never thought to review Columbus Underground. I mean... they're a local…read morebusiness -- and a damn fine one too. Maybe it's because it's something virtual? Anywho... moving on. I think back to when I first moved to Columbus a decade ago and what really made me fall in love with the city and decide to call it home. Two things: Yelp (for real, not a plug) and Columbus Underground. Since this isn't a review for Yelp, I'll stick with CU for now. CU is my favorite local website because it's everything I love -- tons of heart, positive and uplifting, and really scrappy. Scrappy is good, I swear. If you want to know anything that's going on in the city, you can find it here. I feel like so many news media outlets are simply wrap-ups or summaries of what has already happened, but CU is more about the cool things that are *about* to happen. They're always on the cusp of the next big thing. Or the next small thing. I love that CU doesn't just focus on the big, mega-popular happenings -- they also give lots of love to the small, scrappies of Columbus. Want to know about a tiny new bakery in Hilliard? They'll feature it. Or how about a social entrepreneur who's trying to make the city better? Yep, CU will tell you all about it. One last thing I heart about Columbus Underground -- the people. Every single person I've interacted with at CU has been wonderful. They take pride in their work and are all passionate about the city. You can feel their Columbus love.

Columbus Underground is the 411 for the 614. The best online news source, and probably the best…read moreplace to receive what's going on when planning a weekend out, like the Other Paper used to be, and Alive tries. But it is more than just that. CU is a cheerleader for urban living and development, leading the charge for livable downtown and increase density, sometimes to a fault. They are pro-future, pushing for modern public transportation--trains and light-rail--that so far alludes the city. They are on top of every development projects, at work and proposed, in town. Solid objective news stories offered here often beats the Dispatch to the punch, and are written in a high professional manner. Colorful writing also exist here: reviews of restaurants, art, and events are top notch and sophisticated. The website has a forum that often carry interesting conversation of local and national issues. The messageboard conversations are often intelligent and generally free of trolling. I love accessing them through may facebook feed where they post important stories. They do short shift covering stories of the non-professionals, the poor, and underclass--the under privaledge whose suffering the darkside if gentrification is often handwaved by the editors. Sometimes they are tone deaf to issues of preservation and community flavor in their zest to promote modern change, and seem to have a pro-developer biases even in hard news articles. This is its one-star mark I have against them. Otherwise, I love their pro-urbanization stance, their citywide coverage, and their great well written reviews.

Do you have to be gay to enjoy Outlook Weekly? Absolutely not! I love, love, love Outlook…read more I'm super impressed by the quantity and quality of their writing since they have such a small staff. They pump out a full set of articles every seven days, and they're really great articles. I love the quirky topics and the fun writing style. They also tackle serious issues. The graphics always keep my interest. I think they use a local cartoon artist a lot of the time. Everything they do fits together somehow. It's a good look. The boys at Outlook are huge community supporters too. If it's happening in the Short North or in the gay community in general, it's guaranteed to be in Outlook Weekly. The community supports them too. You can't swing a dead cat in the Short North without hitting an Outlook Weekly stack (another testament to the power of their tiny staff - hell yes for distribution technique). This is a great information source and a great entertainment source too. Pick it up.

Outlook Weekly is now Outlook Monthly…read more so ...... we all have to guess what might be trendy for the weeks in-between.

I live near the Mad Moon Taproom but wasn't aware of its existence. It is tucked away in the back…read moreof an industrial complex. Parking was not an issue on my visit. The Taproom is typically only open on Saturday evenings but I attended a private event on a Sunday afternoon. The interior has some seating alongside the many different brewing tanks. I started my visit with a flight, which included 4 tasters. I am not a huge cider fan, but the ciders I tried were all pretty good. They were not overly sweet. I really enjoyed the pineapple cider (Pineapple #10). Hella Good Blueberry Pomegranate was also good. I also got a full sized glass of the Hunky Dory Apple Pie. This drink had a strong hint of cinnamon along with apple. Mad Moon is worth a visit if you enjoy ciders. Their Facebook page advises when they have food trucks and other events.

This is a pretty neat little spot! Mad Moon Cider has been around for several years now but I think…read morethe tap room is a newer place. I randomly found it on yelp and being a new cider fan had to come check it out. So on a rainy Saturday, my bf and I decided to finally check it out! It's defiantly a little confusing to find. Nor is it in the best part of town. Google maps doesn't seem to be aware of the actual road they are on, as it only took us to the Cleveland Ave and didn't actually guide us the rest of the way. I've included the map from their website that shows how to locate them. There is a large green Mad Moon banner on the corner Cleveland Ave and Britains Lane- turn there. Then continue to follow the green signs as you wind your way through what looks like a storage unit complex but I think is actual businesses. It can be a bit sketchy but I promise it's worth it. I've had a couple of their ciders on tap at local bars/restaurants but didn't make the connection until we were there. BrewDog, Pins, Pies and Pints all has their ciders along with several others. You can find a full list on their website of where you can buy their ciders, in bottles or on tap. We started off with a flight- 4 ciders for $10. They are decent sized pours, too. Since their menu isn't huge, we opted to go this route to try multiple ciders (there are 7 total). I still wasn't totally sure which one I wanted to order a glass of and they let me sample a couple others on the menu to decide. I ended up ordering the Tangerine Dream and my bf had the Eat a Peach. They were all good though! While the tap room is fairly small, they have more tables in another room next to the bar area. In here they had a TV and several games for use so we decided to play Yahtzee and Candy Land while we enjoyed our ciders. I love when places have games available as we rarely play them at home and it gives us something fun to do while enjoying our drinks. Definitely worth the trip to check this place out! I was surprised how many people were there/stopped in while we were there considering it's not the easiest place to find and I don't think the tap room's existence is all that well known. So that was great to see. Always great to check out and support local!

I recently picked up the 7th issue of CMH magazine at the Gallery Hop. I'm still not sure what to…read morethink of CMH though. It's still new enough that it has a lot of potential but I still haven't quite figured out what their angle is. It definitely is pretty! It's full color, glossy and has really great, artistic photography. It's the stories that seem a bit weak and I often find myself wondering 'Why am I reading this?' They're on the right track (articles such as spring fashion trends and how to import wine to Columbus) but there's something missing to make it resonate as more than just a fluff piece. All the articles, photos, and models are from Columbus and they feature advertisements from Columbus as well. I think that CMH definitely has the potential to be a major player in the Columbus Magazine market as soon as they find and refine their niche.

City Scene Magazine calls itself 'Columbus' arts, entertainment, and style' magazine, but if you…read moreeven skim the pages, you'll see it's more about the home than anything else. The target audience seems to be middle-aged. In each issue, you'll find several articles on new gadgets for the home, spotlights on different home features (ie staircases), and wine reviews. They throw in a fashion article or two, usually with questionable tips, and they lace the back five pages with a scattering of exhibit openings. It's not exactly what you'd expect to find by looking at the cover. The articles are a bit uninspired and anemic. More than 50% of the magazine is advertisement, which I understand; they need to cover their costs. The magazine runs about 68 pages per issue. You won't find any arts or entertainment info in City Scene that you wouldn't find elsewhere (and in a more interesting format), and that's why I choose to read other magazines to keep up with the city's pulse.

I couldn't agree more with "Morgan". I don't think they are doing that well to be hoenst. It…read morewould be hard to with the success of the Dispatch products. I have worked with them on advertising and I was very unhappy with my results. I didn't get great results after a few 'runs' with them. When I explained that I didn't wish to continue I felt like I was attacked that I wasn't tracking my customers. I'm sorry - but it's my business, I believe I should know, more than you, what I am doing to find out where my advertising money is best spent. I was appalled at their egotistical behavior and better than you attitude. No thank you!