Meet the new owners of The Pitch

A Kansas City couple has bought The Pitch from its Tennessee-based owners, returning the publication to local ownership for the first time since 1999.

Carey Media LLC, led by Stephanie and Adam Carey, completed the purchase on Dec. 31, according to an announcement. The seller, SouthComm Inc., had acknowledged its interest in a sale earlier in December. Terms of the transaction were not announced.

Stephanie Carey is CEO of Carey Media and will be publisher of The Pitch. In that post, she will set strategy and oversee daily business. Adam Carey will be chief operating officer and provide operational support, the announcement said.

“The weight of this is not lost on me,” Stephanie Carey said. “I want to represent Kansas City with this, so my doors are always open for people in the community to give their feedback, ideas, what they want to read about.”

David Hudnall, who has been a longtime writer for The Pitch, has become editor. He succeeds Scott Wilson, who signed off with readers in a Dec. 22 post. Wilson ended his report with the promise of what’s to come at The Pitch.

“We’re not beaten. Something new is starting. And, from the outside, I’m gonna join ’em,” Wilson wrote.

Stephanie Carey said The Pitch would remain a monthly print publication, having moved from a weekly newspaper in March 2017. It also will remain a free product, supported by advertising.

The Careys’ expectations rest in part on an increasing downtown population and renewed interest from the suburbs in Kansas City activities. She said a first move will be to bring back The Pitch’s online calendar.

“Kansas City loves having an events and concert calendar that people can submit to,” she said.

The announcement said the publication will continue “and build upon” its Bartender’s Notebook and Music Forecast and other features, as well as continue to offer its Best of Kansas City, Margarita Wars and Bacon & Bourbon Festival.

Founded in 1980 as a music publication, The Pitch provides a mix of in-depth and social-scene urban journalism as an alternative publication.

Stephanie Carey previously has been a radio and newspaper reporter, worked in marketing and most recently served as sales manager at Second Street. Adam Carey has worked in sales and marketing, including staging events.

SouthComm has owned The Pitch since buying it in 2011 from Village Voice Media Holdings.

This story was originally published January 2, 2018 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Meet the new owners of The Pitch."