New Focus at ThirdCoast Digest
A message from TCD's new publisher, John Shannon.
John Shannon, Publisher, ThirdCoast Digest
Let me introduce myself. I’m John Shannon, the new majority owner and publisher of ThirdCoast Digest.
Starting today, you’ll see some positive changes at TCD, starting with a sharper focus on arts, entertainment, and lifestyle, with less hard news and commentary. TCD will do what it does best: In-depth news, previews and reviews about theater, music, dance, the visual arts, culinary arts, fashion, style, literature, film, photography, travel and so on. TCD’s mission is to be Milwaukee’s most complete, useful, trusted and respected guide to cultural life in all its forms.
To support our new focus, we will become members of the United Performing Arts Fund as well as VISIT Milwaukee. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be out meeting with the cultural community and the community at large to discuss how we can better serve our audience, the creative community and those who support it.
We have new ideas and plans on the drawing board. If you have thoughts and suggestions, let us know. What are we doing well that we should do more of? What are we doing poorly that needs to be changed or dumped?
TCD began in a Riverwest coffeehouse, as an alternative print newspaper called VIRUS, founded by Jon Anne Willow and Mehrdad Dalamie. The name quickly changed to Vital Source and went city wide. Vital added a website six years ago. In January of 2009, the print edition closed; on March 9 of that year, ThirdCoast Digest went live online and has been in business ever since, covering “art, news and life.”
Thank you for visiting TCD. Thank you for your continued confidence in us and our greater Milwaukee community.
John Shannon, Publisher, ThirdCoast Digest
John’s life has been divided between starting and operating businesses in the U.S. and Canada and in volunteering for non-profit and arts boards. Most recently he was President and CEO of Quick Cable Corporation (Racine, WI). For 10 years, he owned and operated Caledonia Press, a book publishing company, with U.S. and worldwide sales.
Looking forward to the future of TCD!
Mr. Shannon –
Congratulations! What a significant step forward.
I’m Mark McLaughlin and I’ve worked with your staff on a number of stories, including the recent coverage of the Sinatra Singe Sinatra concert to benefit the Salvation Army. I’d like to talk with you or Tom about a story on Holiday Folk Fair International which has most of the elements you noted in your letter that will be covered by TCD: theater, food, music, dance, art, culture all at one event at one location. It’s November 16-18 at the Expo Center at State Fair Park.
I also want to take this opportunity to let you know I also represent Wixon, the 105 year old food ingredients company in St. Francis (www.wixon.com). Should TCD cover a culinary story that focuses on reduced sodium or new, trendy flavors, for example, please keep my contact information on file.
I wish you the best of luck for the future, although I don’t think you and your staff will need it.
Mark McLaughlin
Ron Sonntag Public Relations
mark@rspr.com
414-354-0200 Ext 106
Welcome, John. Sounds to me like you’re headed in the right direction. Keep writing. Keep laughing. And remember the Myth of the Cave poster I saw on your wall 47 years ago. I sure do.
Congratulations, John! What wonderful times lie ahead for TCD under your thoughtful guidance! Much success!
Welcome John. Interesting update. Do I understand friend Tom Strini is still with TCD and will be continuing with his excellent reviews? Hope so.
Congrats & best wishes from Racine Theatre Guild.
Looking forward to seeing more great stuff highlighting our great Arts community!
Great news John! MIAD is a huge fan of TCD.
Greetings and best wishes!
I see you have some book-publishing experience. Hooray! Since I run a small indie micro-press, Crickhollow Books, I’d like to share my hopes that coverage of cultural life includes the small but important world of quality indie books created in Milwaukee. Indie-press publishers, authors, and readers connect in ways that are often non-public (books are designed to be delivered to a reader without needing an event; author appearances are nice but aren’t always feasible or effective for small presses). And we don’t fit the “Made in Milwaukee” label as the books are manufactured elsewhere. But this literary realm with local connections is still an important part of cultural life. IMHO. Maybe more indie-press author interviews?
Thanks for the chance to comment, and best wishes for successful next steps for Third Coast Digest, which has truly been a great thing for Milwaukee!
Philip Martin, Editorial Director, Crickhollow Books
Welcome!! This wonderful source has really been a lifeline for the arts in Milwaukee, and I am so pleased that you are planning to even increase that focus. Very best wishes!!
This is great news TCD has become a wonderful necessity of cultural life in Milwaukee – and it is wonderful to know it has a healthy future ahead of it!
Congratulations John, we look forward to the news from the TCD perspective and happy to offer any assistance you might need from The Board of the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts.
Congratulations, John. This is so exciting and I wish you the very best in your new role. All the best to you.
Diane Grace
Congratulations, John. This is so very exciting and I wish you the best in your new role. Enjoy.
Diane Grace
Hello John,
Congratulations and wishing you all the best. I’m a long time fan of TCD!
Katie Harding
Congratulations John and what a great event for Milwaukee! You have been a steady champion of the arts for a long time and thank you so much for that!
Larry D’Attilio
D’Attilio Studio
Hanoi, Vietnam
Sorry to hear that the “hard news and commentary ” is being dropped, that being the main feature drawing me to the site.
Congratulations John; I am excited to follow the Third Coast Digest.