San Antonio Magazine has published for the past 18 years. Credit: Courtesy Image / Open Sky Media

San Antonio Magazine, an 18-year-old glossy publication highlighting Alamo City culture and lifestyles, is no more.

In a Tuesday morning promotional email, Editor-in-Chief Kathleen Petty said the bi-monthly publication’s new issue will be its last. She thanked readers for their support but gave no reason for the closure.

“It is with sadness that I share this month’s issue will be San Antonio Magazine’s last. I know I speak for each of the editors before me when I say that it has been our honor to tell the city’s stories since publishing our first issue 18 years ago,” Petty said.

“I moved to San Antonio for a job with this magazine, and I’ve had the joy of falling in love with the city while covering it. I’ve done the expected write-ups on Fiesta parades and new restaurant openings, but I’ve also had the chance to discover lesser-known gems and to sit down with many of you and hear about the experiences that have shaped you and, in turn, this town.”

Petty was unavailable for immediate comment, as were officials with Open Sky Media Inc., the magazine’s Austin-based ownership group. Open Sky also publishes Austin Monthly, Austin Home and Texas Music. The company’s website doesn’t include details about the future plans for those publications.

Many media organizations endured losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, which cut deep into advertising dollars and other revenue streams. Some have struggled to recover, although it’s unclear whether San Antonio Magazine was among them.

In January poll by the Reuters Institute, just 44% of editors, CEOs and other news-media leaders said they felt confident about the year ahead, and nearly one in five said they had low confidence. Respondents said rising costs, dwindling subscriptions and lower interest from advertisers were among their top concerns for 2023.

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This article appears in Aug 23 – Sep 5, 2023.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...