Media

The media landscape in Portland, like everywhere, is transforming before our eyes. The city’s major daily newspaper, the Oregonian, is losing subscribers to the dead-tree edition but has a large online following. Local television stations have active, high-traffic websites. Weekly newspapers and monthly glossy magazines continue to have loyal readership; online magazines start and fold—but new ones keep coming. In the face of this experimental churn, it’s too early to tell where we are headed.

One notable characteristic, however, is Portland radio. Though Portland’s independent music scene could be better represented on the local airwaves, other forms of radio are robust. Oregon Public Broadcasting’s radio audience is at the top of the market for National Public Radio programs such as All Things Considered. Local conservative commentator Lars Larson is syndicated nationally. Classical music fans have the outstanding KQAC, one of the few remaining stations that broadcasts nothing but classical music—this time, to an international audience, thanks to the livestream on the Internet.

Ad firm Weiden + Kennedy also deserves a mention—they influence the local media scene but they also have a big national effect, from its iconic ads for Nike to its Old Spice commercials. They have launched the careers of many a copy writer, graphic artist, and web designer, the kind of people who have gone on to influence the look and feel of Portland’s media scene.

This chapter takes you through the major and minor players in Portland’s news and entertainment media circus. Don’t overlook the smaller publications—they are excellent windows into the soul of the city and its microregions.