Four months ago, a new alt-weekly paper arrived on the scene just as City Paper was departing. Baltimore Beat, headed by editor-in-chief Lisa Snowden-McCray and managing editor Brandon Soderberg, formerly of City Paper, declared that it would not be “City Paper part two,” but a fresh, new take on the under-reported news in Baltimore.

However, after facing similar problems as its predecessor, the Beat—as it was affectionately known—announced via Facebook that it would be shuttering its doors effective immediately.   

“We launched the Baltimore Beat in November 2017 in an effort to provide a new alternative, independent journalistic voice to the city,” the post read. “We’re proud of the work we’ve done but, unfortunately, advertising support hasn’t been sufficient to sustain us. . . We’re grateful for the opportunity and regret that we are unable to continue.”

Snowden-McCray followed up the announcement with a simple tweet to her followers: “We did really great work in a short time with very limited resources.” She also followed up by  applauding the hard work of her team and other contributors, as well as the support she got from readers.

“I found out I’m damn good at running the editorial side of a paper,” she wrote. “The amount of love, support for this paper, and talent that we were able to put on our pages was insane and the best part.”

For now, the paper will still remain alive online, but there will be no final issue according to Soderberg, who took to Twitter to express his anger and frustration about the decision.

“I went through all this only because I believed we had the backing to build and grow,” he tweeted. “I wanted to change the media landscape here. I thought our publisher felt the same way. There is no last issue, we heard yesterday morning as we were finishing up the next issue and [was] told to stop.”

The Beat’s publisher Kevin Naff from Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia (BNP), which also oversees the Washington Blade—the oldest LGBT newspaper in the country—and the Los Angeles Blade, said he doesn’t have “anything further than what we released” to offer as comment. 

Since opening a few months ago, the publication has tackled gun violence, teacher strikes in West Virginia, police commissioner Kevin Davis’ firing, and several op-ed’s that showcase “community voices.”

There has been no official word on whether the staff will try crowdfunding to raise money to stay open, but Soderberg is planning a fundraiser with his partner in writing Baynard Woods through their journalism nonprofit, BINJ, to support investigative journalism in the city. 

“[Baltimore Beat] was special and I maintain that it would make a lot of money too,” Soderberg said on Twitter. “Don’t let this deter anyone else from trying. I am glad we tried, and we will see what we want to do next.”

The last issue of City Paper was practically still warm from its final press run when it was announced on Thursday that a new alt-weekly would be launching. The Baltimore Beat will publish its first paper on November 15 with Lisa Snowden-McCray—former community coordinator at The Sun—as editor-in-chief, and City Paper’s Brandon Soderberg as managing editor.

Baltimore Beat will feature print and digital content, as well as classified and display ads. The free, weekly newspaper will share similarities to predecessor in terms of art and music coverage, but plans to highlight new voices throughout the city.

“We’re not trying to be City Paper part two,” said Snowden-McCray. “I want to make sure we are hitting the group of people and areas that are usually overlooked. I want to hand the mic to people who historically haven’t had the chance to have a say on things that are going on in the city.”

The new publication is owned by Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia (BNP), which also oversees the Washington Blade—the oldest LGBT newspaper in the country—and the Los Angeles Blade.

Soderberg and publisher Kevin Naff handpicked Snowden-McCray for the editor-in-chief position. They wanted to find a voice that was representative and passionate about the city with the experience to match.

Naff says that the fact that Snowden-McCray is one of the only African-American women in charge of a newspaper in a predominantly black city like Baltimore is something that should be celebrated. For her part, Snowden-McCray is eager to break down the barriers in a white, male-dominated industry.

“I am always talking about the need for diversity in journalism,” she said. “The fact that there aren’t enough people of color, the fact that there aren’t enough women in editorial positions—I felt like I had to take the job.” 

BNP will handle all of the back-office operations while the staff of four gains traction, including associate publisher Jennifer Marsh, who previously worked at both The Sun and City Paper. With just Snowden-McCray and Soderberg on the editorial staff, the Beat will draw a lot of its content from fellow Blade publications, freelancers, and staff of The Real News Network (the paper’s current officemate). 

In a time where alt-weeklies are dying out due to declining ad sales and revenue, Naff says that he’s not worried.

“If I didn’t think this was profitable, I wouldn’t be going into it,” he said. “We put together a really great, experienced team. I’m confident in Lisa and her abilities.”

Marsh has already begun gathering advertisers for the paper, saying this is the chance to give Baltimore “the alternative newspaper it deserves,” so she’s working hard to make sure the Beat will thrive.

“This opportunity kind of fell out of the sky and it’s a chance to do everything right,” she says. “Even though we’re just a staff of four, it’s more powerful because we’re all doing it for the love of the medium.”

The first print edition of Baltimore Beat will be available on November 15 at hundreds of local bars, restaurants, gyms, and stores. Street boxes, which will not be the same yellow ones that City Paper was available in, will be coming soon.

“We’re here to celebrate with you,” Snowden-McCray said. “There are amazing things happening in Baltimore, and we want to talk about each and every one.”