Indianapolis Monthly: A Brief History of the City Magazine

Indianapolis Monthly is a lifestyle magazine based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1977, it began under the name Indianapolis Home and Garden, signaling an initial focus on domestic life and local living. The publication changed its name to Indianapolis at Home in 1980.

A further transition came in 1981, when Mayhill Publications, led by owner and publisher Robert Thomas Mayhill, took ownership of the magazine. That change also brought its present name, Indianapolis Monthly, and the appointment of Deborah Paul as editor-in-chief. The new identity positioned the publication as a broader city magazine rather than one centered only on homes and gardens.

Indianapolis Monthly has also developed projects and special publications connected to different parts of life in Indiana. These include Indiana Bride, Home, The Ticket and Indiana Travel Guide. Together, those titles and projects extend the magazine’s coverage into subjects such as weddings, housing, events and travel, according to the available publication summary.

The magazine remained locally connected through its ownership when Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications purchased it in 1988. Its work later received industry recognition: in 2014, the City and Regional Magazine Association gave Indianapolis Monthly its General Excellence II award.

Ownership changed again in late 2022. Emmis sold the magazine to Hour Media Group, a company based in Michigan, on December 1 of that year. The transaction marked another stage in the publication’s history while leaving its Indianapolis identity in place.

For readers interested in the city’s media landscape, Indianapolis Monthly offers an example of how a local magazine can broaden its scope over time. Its history moves from a home-and-garden title to a city-focused lifestyle publication, with additional products aimed at specialized interests. The magazine’s changing names and ownership also reflect the different organizations that have helped shape its place in Indianapolis publishing.

The available information does not describe the magazine’s specific coverage of LGBTQ+ communities or issues. It does, however, establish Indianapolis Monthly as a long-running Indianapolis publication with a portfolio that reaches beyond a single subject area. That context can help situate the magazine within the city’s broader media ecosystem.

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Further links listed by the Wikipedia page (not independently checked): - https://www.ibj.com/articles/emmis-corp-sells-indianapolis-monthly-magazine - https://indyencyclopedia.org/indianapolis-monthly/ - https://www.newspapers.com/image/312801524 - https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/8348365 - https://citymag.org/member_mags/indianapolis-monthly/ - https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0899-0328 Image rights Photograph description: 24 June 2021 - Indianapolis, IN - US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh speaks to LGBTQ Community Leaders including Emma Vosicky, left, at Baby's restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana. Official Department of Labor Photograph*** Photographs taken by the federal government are generally part of the public domain and may beused, copied and distributed without permission. Unless otherwise noted, photos post Creator: US Department of Labor. License: CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0). Original image page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AL-21-06-24-A-009_(51269405335).jpg. The image was resized for display; no other changes were made.