Ready to dive into the story of Atlanta’s Creative Loafing? This institution has chronicled the city’s cultural happenings for decades. It began as a family venture.
Creative Loafing started in 1972. Deborah and Chick Eason founded it. Deborah was a photographer. Chick was a math professor. They noticed poorly attended cultural events. This inspired them to create a publication. It would inform people about Atlanta’s cultural scene. Festivals, concerts, and even Wicca meetings would be covered.
Initially, Creative Loafing operated from the Easons’ basement. Their home was in Morningside. They started with a monthly magazine called P-s-s-t . . . A Guide to Creative Loafing in Atlanta. Then, they launched a free weekly publication. It was simply titled Creative Loafing. The first edition was eight pages long. 12,000 copies were printed. The small staff worked from the Easons’ home. The darkroom was in the basement.
Creative Loafing wasn’t Atlanta’s first alternative weekly. But it outgrew its competitors. These included The Great Speckled Bird. Also Poets, Artists & Madmen. And The Sunday Paper. After 15 years, the Easons expanded. They launched Creative Loafing weeklies in other Southern cities. Charlotte in 1987. Tampa in 1988.
The company grew further. It acquired newspapers in Greenville. Also Raleigh. And Savannah. Creative Loafing expanded in the Atlanta area. They started Gwinnett Loaf. Also Topside Loaf. These covered the northern suburbs. The Scene was created for nightlife listings. This was due to complaints about racy ads in Creative Loafing Atlanta. These publications were later folded back into Creative Loafing Atlanta in 2001.
By 2007, Creative Loafing was a mini-empire. It owned four papers in three states. It purchased the Chicago Reader. Also the Washington City Paper. Plus The Straight Dope. This was a syndicated column.
Ben Eason, the son of Deborah and Elton, bought the Tampa paper in 1994. He renamed it the Weekly Planet. In 1998, he expanded. He launched a second Weekly Planet in Sarasota.
In 2000, Ben and his sisters bought a controlling interest in Creative Loafing. The Planet papers were brought into the fold. The Tampa paper reverted to its former name. The Sarasota paper became Creative Loafing Sarasota.
Shortly after, Debby Eason bought back the Greenville and Savannah properties. The Greenville paper became MetroBEAT. Creative Loafing Savannah merged into Connect Savannah.
To finance the deal, Cox Enterprises bought a minority share of the company. This led to an uneasy relationship. Cox owned The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It also owned TV and radio outlets. The Journal-Constitution launched Access Atlanta. This competed directly with Creative Loafing. The Easons censured the Cox executives. By 2004, Creative Loafing repurchased its shares.
In 2007, Creative Loafing bought the Washington City Paper and the Chicago Reader. The company borrowed $40 million. The economic slump hurt ad sales. CL Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 2008.
Atalaya Capital Management became the new owner in 2009. They paid $5 million. Ben Eason was removed as CEO.
Over the next two years, Atalaya sold Creative Loafing’s remaining papers. Creative Loafing Sarasota was shut down in 2010. In 2011, Creative Loafing Charlotte and Creative Loafing Tampa were sold to SouthComm Inc.
In 2012, the Chicago Reader was sold to Wrapports. Creative Loafing Atlanta and the Washington City Paper were sold to SouthComm Communications. CL Inc. ceased to exist.
In 2017, Ben Eason repurchased Creative Loafing Atlanta. In 2018, Creative Loafing Tampa was sold to a group from Ohio.
Creative Loafing launched careers. Hollis Gillespie debuted her column Moodswing. Jill Hannity, Sean Hannity’s wife, was the managing editor. Mara Shaloup won an award for her Black Mafia story. CB Hackworth’s piece on racial segregation brought Oprah to Forsyth County.
Creative Loafing continues online today. Special print editions are published occasionally. It remains a vital part of Atlanta’s cultural landscape. From its humble beginnings to its current form, Creative Loafing has always been about informing the public. It covers arts, entertainment, music, news, and politics. It’s a story of family, expansion, and resilience.