River Cities Reader

What River Cities Reader does

River Cities' Reader is an independently and locally owned monthly tabloid-size publication founded in 1993 and headquartered at 532 W 3rd St, Davenport, Iowa, serving the Quad Cities metropolitan area across Iowa and Illinois. The publication covers local news, arts, music, theatre, movies, festivals, museums, dance, sports, classes, business, and politics, supplemented by commentary columns, advice columns, astrology, cartoons, and crossword puzzles. Content is published monthly in print and refreshed daily on its website at rcreader.com, with additional channels including podcasts, a weekly email newsletter, and PDF archives hosted on Scribd.

The underlying product is a single editorial brand distributed through multiple formats rather than a multi-product technology platform, and there are no APIs, integrations, or technology stack details disclosed in available sources. The business model combines four revenue streams: paid mail subscriptions ($48/year for 12 issues, with $24 covering postage and handling and $24 covering operations), free weekly email newsletter (freemium), local advertising sales, and reader donations accepted on a one-time, monthly, or annual basis. The publication is freely available at over 300 physical distribution points throughout the Quad Cities.

Customer reach is split between a horizontal audience of Quad Cities general readers seeking local news and cultural coverage and a smaller secondary segment of local businesses and organizations purchasing advertising or event promotion. The operation runs with 1-10 employees and no venture, private equity, or parent ownership indicated. Todd McGreevy serves as Publisher, the only named leadership figure in the data, suggesting tight founder/owner-led continuity.

Name

River Cities Reader

Legal name

River Cities' Reader

Website

https://rcreader.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

River Cities' Reader is an independently owned monthly newspaper and daily-updated website founded in 1993, serving Quad Cities (Iowa/Illinois) readers with local arts, culture, business, and political coverage distributed via 300+ free pickup points and paid mail subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

Keywords

• Local newspaper
• Independent journalism
• Arts coverage
• Community news
• Event calendar

Headquarters

HQ city

Davenport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Print Magazine Subscription: 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48 per year; $24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open
2. Free E-mail Newsletter: Free weekly e-mail content updates providing current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities
3. Advertising Revenue: Advertising available for local businesses and organizations; contact [email protected]
4. Reader Support/Donations: Financial support through one-time, monthly, or annual contributions to keep the Reader alive and free since 1993

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

River Cities' Reader publishes a monthly tabloid-sized print magazine and a daily-updated website covering arts, culture, business, politics, theatre, music, movies, and lifestyle in the Quad Cities region. Free print copies are distributed at over 300 locations, with paid mailed subscriptions and a free weekly email newsletter also available. The publication also produces podcasts and maintains PDF archives of its print editions.

Product overview

River Cities' Reader is a single, unified publication consisting of a monthly printed tabloid-sized magazine and a daily-updated website. The product portfolio includes the core newspaper publication covering local news, commentary, theatre, music, movies, art, and lifestyle content. Additional offerings include event calendars, podcasts, crossword puzzles, astrology columns, and subscription services (email updates and mailed print editions). The publication has operated independently since 1993 serving the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• River Cities' Reader Print & Online Publication
• Reader Podcasts
• Print Magazine Subscription
• Local Advertising Services

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Times Media Group: Acquired multiple alt-weekly brands across the U.S. Useful as a comparable operator in the local independent weekly space and potential acquirer benchmark for small alt-weekly valuations.
• Chicago Reader: Iconic Chicago alt-weekly that historically defined the independent weekly newspaper format. Larger scale and broader resource base but shares the arts/culture/commentary mission and independent editorial positioning.
• Voice Media Group: Operator of a portfolio of alt-weeklies (e.g., Phoenix New Times, Dallas Observer) historically serving mid-sized U.S. metros. Represents the chain-owned alt-weekly template that competes with independents for ad budgets.
• Des Moines Register: Iowa's largest regional daily and dominant news brand in the state. Not a direct format peer, but competes for Quad Cities-area reader attention and regional advertising dollars.

Direct peers

• Quad-City Times: The main daily newspaper serving the same Quad Cities metro. Direct competitor for local news advertising, readers, and event coverage, though structured as a daily rather than monthly alt-weekly.
• LEO Weekly: Louisville, KY alt-weekly with similar independent focus on arts, culture, politics, and local events. Operates a comparable hybrid print + digital + events calendar model targeting a single mid-sized metro.
• The Pitch: Kansas City alt-weekly covering arts, culture, news, and events. Operates a print + digital community newspaper model nearly identical to the Reader's, and serves a comparable mid-sized metro area.
• Isthmus: Madison, WI alternative weekly publishing arts, music, dining, and local news coverage. Closely comparable format and audience model to River Cities Reader in a similar-sized college-town market.
• Nashville Scene: Nashville's weekly alt-newspaper covering arts, culture, food, and local news. Operates a hybrid print and digital model with extensive event calendar content similar to the Reader.

Regional players

• Riverfront Times: St. Louis alt-weekly with a comparable editorial model (arts, food, music, local news, opinion). Illustrative of alt-weekly format economics and the regional competitive dynamics relevant to River Cities Reader.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RCReader
• Facebookfacebook.com/RiverCitiesReader

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about River Cities Reader