HISTORY

RADAR Review was established by Jack Livingston in 2002 following a series of community meetings organized by the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance (GBCA) to address the issue of insufficient arts coverage by Baltimore's major media outlets. RADAR was founded with the organizational support and encouragement of GBCA.

RADAR 1 was created and distributed to an enthusiastic reception on May 5, 2002. Todd Harvey designed the review, which features a pocket-sized layout that allows for over thirty 260-word reviews of local art, music, and cultural events in each issue. Working with a small all-volunteer staff, the editors and GBCA produced the publication for a trial run of one year.

At the end of the trial period, January 2003, RADAR editors and backers decided that there was enough community support to commence regular publication on a roughly quarterly basis, with paid staff and writer honoraria, beginning with RADAR 4. Following the May release of RADAR 6, RADAR Review LLC was established to place the magazine in the private sector. It is now a fully independent privately owned publication which relies on advertising and conventional revenues while maintaining free distribution to the public. GBCA remains involved in an advisory capacity. Circulation has risen 50% since the advent of RADAR Review LLC, with an eventual target of 20,000 per issue by early 2006. The identity of the review continues to evolve, with regular essays, articles, and photo features joining the artist-written reviews that form the mainstay of RADAR's content.