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The roots of Columbus Monthly are planted in defeat. And, to some degree, the late James Rhodes is to credit (or blame, depending on your point of view) for its inception.
According to stories told through the years by the founders, the city magazine spun out of the debris of the 1974 race for governor, when incumbent John Gilligan lost to Rhodes. The change at the Statehouse caused Max Brown, Gilligan’s communications chief, to look for another way to make a living.
At the time, Brown and his wife, Lenore, thought Columbus was ripe for a new kind of journalism—a monthly magazine with a good dose of attitude that covered the stories the local media wouldn’t touch, in addition to in-depth service and lifestyle pieces. Most folks told them the concept, which was popular in big cities, would never work here.
The Browns, as well as partner Herb Cook Jr., thought otherwise and talked enough folks into being investors to launch the first issue in June 1975. In the very first Upfront, Cook and Max Brown wrote, “With all the blessings—and problems—of cities on their way up, Columbus is ready for fresh voices, new ideas, laughter, self-criticism, reflection and prediction. You’ll find them all in our pages.”
It didn’t take long for them to prove the doubters wrong. Not only did Columbus Monthly become a quick success (financially and journalistically), but it also developed into the engine that helped create a substantial publishing company, CM Media: a chain of community weeklies (Suburban News Publications), The Other Paper, Columbus C.E.O., Columbus Bride, a printing division and more.
The Browns owned the company for more than 30 years, until in 2007 it sold the assets of CM Media for $44 million to American Community Newspapers (now known as American Community Newspapers II). Not a bad return on the investment.
This issue acknowledges the magazine’s 35th anniversary with two features. Associate editor Dave Ghose and assistant editor Ben Zenitsky compiled a lively retrospective of the past three and a half decades. It’s a mix of news events, blunders (a few our own), quiz questions and excerpts from our archives. The other is one of our signature pieces. Every five years or so, we rank the city’s top Titans. It’s the kind of journalism that sets us apart from other Central Ohio media. Catch the fun starting on page 39.
As a side note: The cover of the first issue of Columbus Monthly showed a young woman holding a light fixture inside a house undergoing renovation, with the headline reading, “Will Victorian Village make it?” (I think we know the answer to that question.) The young woman was Lisa Galat, an urban pioneer in the neighborhood that is now a thriving historic district. (She went on to start a cooking school, A Matter of Taste, and own the Clock Restaurant—now Elevator Brewery & Draught House.)
In an odd coincidence (perhaps more odd for her than me), that first Columbus Monthly cover girl, who now goes by Lisa McKivergin, recently moved to the same street where my wife and I live. But we weren’t strangers—we’ve lived in the same town for many years and, in fact, she’s been our Realtor on a couple of occasions. Who knew 35 years ago that our lives would intersect?
Now for something completely different: Here’s a chance to feature your favorite creature in Columbus Monthly. Check out the details about our Pet Contest on page 106 and at columbusmonthly.com. And coming soon to the website: a video about master storyteller Lyn Ford (see Jory Farr’s profile of her on page 117) and every single Columbus Monthly cover.
