Ray Roa didn't get into journalism to change the world. He did it to get into concerts for free. Now he runs Creative Loafing Tampa Bay — and it just became employee-owned for the first time since 2009.
In this episode of Stick a Fork in It, Ray talks about what it really feels like to own the paper you grew up reading, why Creative Loafing refuses to put up a paywall, and what he believes about the future of local journalism in Tampa Bay. Plus — what's happening with Restaurant Month, his unexpected dream concert, and why kindness is a muscle you have to train.
In this episode:
00:00 — How Ray got into journalism (the real reason)
03:30 — What Creative Loafing Tampa Bay is today
05:00 — Why they'll never charge for news
06:00 — Becoming employee-owned: what that actually feels like
09:00 — The mission behind local journalism
12:00 — Restaurant Month and why it matters
18:00 — Ray's dream: paying journalists a real wage
21:00 — The concert that changed everything
Ray Roa is the editor of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Tampa's longest-running alternative weekly newspaper — now locally and employee-owned. Covering food, arts, politics, and everything in between — free, always.