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Metro Times, for 33 years a Detroit media institution that covered, criticized and supported its embattled hometown, is hitting 8 Mile.
The well-known weekly is preparing to move to leased space in Ferndale, according to sources outside of the paper.
The move does not appear to be related to the announcement last month that Metro Times is for sale.
The owner, Scranton, Pa.-based Times-Shamrock Communications, said it is selling Metro Times along with four other weekly publications to focus efforts on its businesses closer to home in Pennsylvania.
"MT signed a one year sub-lease," publisher Chris Sexson posted in the comment section of this article. "Yes in Ferndale. Our search continues. It is not an option to stay at our current location. We had a great home in Detroit picked out, the deal fell through last minute. Currently looking at a number of options."
The move out of Detroit means little logistically, of course. Ferndale borders Detroit, and is itself a center for culture, dining and entertainment. But the departure comes just as downtown is increasingly the focus of development and energy, and a Detroit address has begun to carry the kind of cachet it lacked in 1980, when Metro Times was founded.
But given the tension that exists between Detroit and its suburbs, staking a claim in Oakland County is bound to spark discussion among readers.
The paper had been forced to find new quarters because Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan this summer purchased Metro Times' home in the historic Detroit Cornice and Slate Building, at the corner of St. Antoine and E. Lafayette streets.
In addition to Metro Times, the building is also home to Paxahau, an event production and management company that produces the Movement Electronic Music Festival, among other events.
