WELCOME TO MY NEW ADVENTURE
Let’s build a community to make St. Louis a better place–one idea at a time
I’m launching this space in the hope of sharing ideas, opinions and information that can help make St. Louis a better place to live.
I love St. Louis. Our town is underrated and overrated at the same time: underrated locally and nationally, thanks to incessant droning over its problems; overrated by the civic elite and many in the media that dare not question their proclamations, many of which are detached from reality.
Having fought my way off the streets of Creve Coeur, I founded the Riverfront Times in 1977. Since then, I’ve been part of the civic discussion — admittedly the part that many would prefer not to hear — in writing more than 1,000 columns and spending lots of time on radio and TV. Our weekly show “Donnybrook” on NinePBS is still going strong after more than 36 years. It has been a wonderful journey.
I’ve been questioning the assumptions of the mainstream media for about four decades, But I’ve decided to move on from RFT column -- although I’ll still be an occasional contributor to the paper – and instead I’ll be focusing my regular writing here at Substack. If you’ve enjoyed my work, you’ll continue to see it here on a weekly basis, pretty much as it has been at the RFT.
But there will also be shorter posts on other days, commenting in a timelier way on breaking topics of local (and state) interest. And subscribers will be encouraged to respond in a comment forum that’s civil and substantive. You don’t see that every day.
The big difference is you. Here at Substack, the focus in on interactivity. You will have a voice - not only to be heard, but also to help shape my own views as well as those of others in the community. We don’t have enough of that in our town these days.
For those who choose to be Founding members, I’ll be hosting monthly Zoom calls in which we can spend up to an hour or so discussing St. Louis. And the key can be found in what I’m naming this benefit: “Ray Hartmann Shuts Up and Listens.” Many Donnybrookers will appreciate that.
We’ll engage one another, but civilly and productively. And you’ll have a new forum to make your voice and your views heard.
I’ll be honored in you join me. Thanks!I’m launching this space in the hope of sharing ideas, opinions and information that can help make St. Louis a better place to live. I love St. Louis. Our town is underrated and overrated at the same time: underrated locally and nationally, thanks to incessant droning over its problems; overrated by the civic elite and many in the media that dare not question their proclamations, many of which are detached from reality.
Having fought my way off the streets of Creve Coeur, I founded the Riverfront Times in 1977. Since then, I’ve been part of the civic discussion — admittedly the part that many would prefer not to hear — in writing more than 1,000 columns and spending lots of time on radio and TV. Our weekly show “Donnybrook” on NinePBS is still going strong after more than 36 years. It has been a wonderful journey.
I’ve been questioning the assumptions of the mainstream media for about four decades, But I’ve decided to move on from RFT column -- although I’ll still be an occasional contributor to the paper – and instead I’ll be focusing my regular writing here at Substack. If you’ve enjoyed my work, you’ll continue to see it here on a weekly basis, pretty much as it has been at the RFT.
But there will also be shorter posts on other days, commenting in a timelier way on breaking topics of local (and state) interest. And subscribers will be encouraged to respond in a comment forum that’s civil and substantive. You don’t see that every day.
The big difference is you. Here at Substack, the focus in on interactivity. You will have a voice - not only to be heard, but also to help shape my own views as well as those of others in the community. We don’t have enough of that in our town these days.
For those who choose to be Founding members, I’ll be hosting monthly Zoom calls in which we can spend up to an hour or so discussing St. Louis. And the key can be found in what I’m naming this benefit: “Ray Hartmann Shuts Up and Listens.” Many Donnybrookers will appreciate that.
We’ll engage one another, but civilly and productively. And you’ll have a new forum to make your voice and your views heard.
I’ll be honored in you join me. Please subscribe below.
