What's The Reader?

It's billed as the news and entertainment newspaper of the Omaha metro-area. In fact, it's Omaha's only alternative newspaper with a strong emphasis on local and regional arts, music and social issues. It's free, and its circulation is quite good with more than 1,000 pick-up locations. It's definitely the reading material of choice at Omaha's many coffee houses, bars, nightclubs restaurants and record shops.

Omaha is a classic one-newspaper town, and has been for more than 20 years. The Omaha World-Herald is one of the country's most successful newspapers in terms of reader saturation. It got that way by taking the middle ground in terms of its editorial decisions. That means what little music coverage it does contain focuses solely on the mediocre pop rock bands and bland national acts "that the kids love" instead of the quality original local bands that get so little attention.

The Reader's focus is almost entirely on alternative music, making it the only outlet for coverage of the few quality, local bands that are almost always ignored by the Omaha World-Herald. 

Send correspondence, including review materials and band info, to: Tim McMahan, 5022 Izard St. Omaha, NE 68132