Mke (tabloid)
Encyclopedia
MKE was a weekly publication in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
published by Journal Communications
. Launched on October 28, 2004 as a zero-news-content cross between an alternative weekly
and a weekly entertainment magazine aimed at readers under 35, it (along with the online version, MKEOnline.com) also served as a secondary advertising vehicle for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
, its parent publication. At the time of its launch, it was seen as competing for the same readership as the Shepherd Express
. A representative for the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
(of which the Shepherd Express was a member) was quoted as saying that three dozen daily newspapers had rolled out weekly free publications during the past year alone. He characterized them as "usually pretty fluffy" and presented with "faux hipness
," and said of MKE: "Milwaukee's a little different because they've actually come out and said there's no news at all," and predicted most of the new free newspapers would fail in the long run because they lacked the "idiosyncrasies and oddball charm" of true alternative weeklies.
Described by local reporter and media critic Michael Horne as "pretty darn lame", it never found a profitable marketing niche; ad revenues peaked in 2006 and never recovered. MKE ceased publication after the July 11, 2008, issue.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
published by Journal Communications
Journal Communications
Journal Communications, Inc. is a publicly traded media company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It publishes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a daily newspaper, and it also owns television stations, radio stations and weekly newspapers, among other businesses.-History:The Milwaukee Journal was...
. Launched on October 28, 2004 as a zero-news-content cross between an alternative weekly
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
and a weekly entertainment magazine aimed at readers under 35, it (along with the online version, MKEOnline.com) also served as a secondary advertising vehicle for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
, its parent publication. At the time of its launch, it was seen as competing for the same readership as the Shepherd Express
Shepherd Express
The Shepherd Express is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.-History:The paper originated in May, 1982 as the Crazy Shepherd, its name derived from a line in Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Footnotes to Howl”...
. A representative for the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
The Association of Alternative Newsmedia is a diverse group of covering every major metropolitan area and other less-populated regions of North America. AAN members have a combined weekly circulation of over 6.5 million as well as a print readership of nearly 17 million active, educated and...
(of which the Shepherd Express was a member) was quoted as saying that three dozen daily newspapers had rolled out weekly free publications during the past year alone. He characterized them as "usually pretty fluffy" and presented with "faux hipness
Hip (slang)
Hip is a slang term meaning fashionably current and in the know. Hip is the opposite of square or prude.Hip, like cool, does not refer to one specific quality. What is considered hip is continuously changing. The term hip is said to have originated in African American Vernacular English in the...
," and said of MKE: "Milwaukee's a little different because they've actually come out and said there's no news at all," and predicted most of the new free newspapers would fail in the long run because they lacked the "idiosyncrasies and oddball charm" of true alternative weeklies.
Described by local reporter and media critic Michael Horne as "pretty darn lame", it never found a profitable marketing niche; ad revenues peaked in 2006 and never recovered. MKE ceased publication after the July 11, 2008, issue.