The River Cities' Reader is an independently owned alternative bi-weekly newspaper based in Davenport, Iowa

Davenport, Iowa

Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...

. The newspaper was founded in 1993 and is circulated throughout the Quad-Cities

Quad Cities

The Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...

 metropolitan area and outlying communities.

The Readers format is tabloid size on newsprint; its masthead reads "business, politics, arts and culture".

Content

Like many alternative weeklies, the Reader publishes feature-length, in-depth stories on a number of topics of interest, including:

• Local business and political issues, including investigative reporting and in-depth interviews with the people involved. The publishers often tout the publication as a "civic watchdog" for the community.

• Full-length interviews and in-depth articles with local and national artists, and other nationally renowned figures. Interview subjects have included former FEC
  Federal Election Commission
  The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
  
   chairman Bradley A. Smith
  Bradley A. Smith
  Bradley A. Smith is a professor at Capital University Law School, who was Commissioner, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Federal Election Commission between 2000 and 2005 and is best known for his writing and activities opposing campaign finance regulation.-Academic career and influence:A...
  
   http://www.rcreader.com/display_article.php3?index=1&artid=1821, actor/artist Kris Kristofferson
  Kris Kristofferson
  Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
  
   http://www.rcreader.com/display_article.php3?index=1&artid=1928 and Ian Anderson
  Ian Anderson (musician)
  Ian Scott Anderson, MBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the leader and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull.-Early life:...
  
   http://www.rcreader.com/display_article.php3?index=1&artid=1500, leader of the rock band Jethro Tull
  Jethro Tull (band)
  Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
  
  .

Each issue of the Reader also contains a listing of arts and entertainment events taking place throughout the area, and provides critical reviews for regional art exhibitions, music concerts, and theatrical performances.

History

The River Cities' Reader was first published in October 1993 as a monthly. In June 1995, the Reader began a weekly publishing schedule. It is published every Wednesday of the year and features special guides once per month.

The paper was founded by owners Kathleen McCarthy and Todd McGreevy who still remain active in its operation as editor and publisher, respectively. Jeff Ignatius, the publication's managing editor, has been with the Reader since 2000.

The website underwent an overhaul in June 2006 and now features local wikis for the community, an enhanced calendar, streaming video, and a more modern look.