By Mark Hanzlik, Executive Director

Isthmus, a long-time member of AAN and AWN charter member changed ownership for the first time in it’s 38-year history.  Veteran publisher Vince O’Hern, along with his wife and co-owner Linda Baldwin sold Isthmus Publishing Co. to three local Wisconsin businessmen.     Read more about that sale at Altweeklies.com, posted July 10, 2014.

Linda Baldwin served several key leadership roles in the AWN cooperative between 1996-2003 including Vice President of the Board of Directors for the first six years of the network.   Both Linda and Vince were stalwart supporters of AWN for the entire history (20 years) of the network.  They became a model for many other AWN members, a highly-respected, independently published alternative weekly that stayed true to their mission.

The new owners, Jeff Haupt, Craig Bartlett and Mark Tauscher are a good fit for new Isthmus leadership.  They have a strong local presence in the Madison market, experience publishing (The Onion) and marketing to students and their parents through the Red Card, a prepaid dining and discount card.