The Pittsburgh City Paper has ceased operations after 34 years of publication, with employees announcing the closure on the company’s social media accounts Wednesday, saying “Goodbye Yinz.”
Block Communications Inc., the Toledo-based company that owns the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, confirmed the publication was shut down “effective immediately.” The company acquired City Paper in early 2023 through its subsidiary Cars Holding Inc. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
The free weekly paper first went into print on November 6, 1991, establishing itself as a voice for arts, culture and alternative news coverage in Pittsburgh. Distributed across the city at coffee shops, drop boxes, and sandwich shops, the tabloid became a fixture of the local scene. The last issue was published in December 2025.
Before the Block Communications acquisition, City Paper was owned by Eagle Media, which operates the Butler Eagle. Eagle Media had managed the weekly tabloid and its digital presence from 2016 to 2023. Eagle Media also produced the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s print editions at its facilities in Butler during and after the production workers’ strike that began in October 2022.
The closure follows an October announcement that City Paper would cease weekly print production and transition to a quarterly print schedule. That planned shift never materialized.
A single employee has been charged with turning off the lights and closing the door over the next few weeks.
Lynn Cullen Live has moved to YouTube following the closure.
The shutdown is a loss for Pittsburgh’s arts and culture scene. It leaves a gap for musicians to be discovered, minority causes to be championed, and artists to have their work memorialized in print.
We here at The Pittsburgh Reporter will try to fill the gaps the best we can.
Update (Jan. 5, 2026): – We updated this article with a link to find Lynn Cullen Live after the City Paper closes.