The Real Deal Press

The Real Deal was born in 1991 to chronicle civic, commercial and cultural activity in Greater Cleveland's African American community. Almost thirty years later, we're still at it.

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The Real Deal was born in 1991 as an earnest attempt to chronicle civic, commercial and cultural activity in Greater Cleveland's African American community. The goal was to create a mirror in which the black community could see its strengths and shortcomings, while presenting a fuller reflection of that community to the larger world outside. 

Starting life as a monthly print publication in four color tab format, the very first issue juxtaposed two wildly different but characteristic aspects of the black community side by side: a front page account of a Jack and Jill cotillion adjacent to a report of Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan's appearance at Public Hall. Neither event found mention in the city's mainstream newspaper.

The paper suspended publication in 1993, in what was expected to be a temporary hiatus. While print publication would not resume until 2014, the paper's spirit found expression in new vehicles in the intervening decades, first in the start-up weekly The Cleveland Monitor, which ran under the same publisher/editor from February 1998 to August 1998, and then later online as a blog, reprising The Real Deal moniker.

It was as a blog that The Real Deal became an established if sometimes maddeningly irregular presence on the Cleveland journalistic scene, developing a reputation for incisive political commentary, a willingness to criticize established political and civic leadership, and a place of record for important community events. Its growth as a brand led to the decision in 2014 to resume print publication on a monthly basis. The paper appeared every month from April 2014 through the spring of 2016, at which time it once again stopped printing. At its height, 15,000 copies of every issue were printed and distributed via more than 400 drop spots throughout Cuyahoga County.

In October 2018, The Real Deal morphed once again, marked by two significant changes. It became a weekly, still in tabloid format, but digital only. A website had been pulled up, and the publication appeared there in PDF format every Sunday. In June 2019, the decision was made to dispense with the PDF format that notwithstanding its visual appeal, limited the content's searchability.

As of January 2020, the site is poised for rapid growth:

— content is posted when completed, without having to wait for a stated publication date.

— newsletters go out to subscribers twice weekly, on Mondays and Thursdays, referencing past, current and future content.

— all available archival Real Deal content is being migrated to the website, providing important accounts of Cleveland history largely unavailable elsewhere.

— all content is now searchable by the established search engines.

— our database exceeds 10,000 email addresses, including public officials and civic leaders of all stripes, with unexcelled reach and penetration of Cleveland's African American community.

— our reputation for accurate and original political coverage has continued to grow for 30 years, marking us as an important, reliable, and influential read.

— our coverage of civic events and community nonprofits continues to grow, as will our presence on social media.

We have lots more in the works, and we invite you to join us in our growth.

For questions or comments about our site, our work, advertising with us, or anything else, email the publisher: rta(AT)TheRealDealPress.com.