In the mid-1990s when I moved to London, the print media (billboards) on the tube, buses, etc. blew me away. It was way more sophisticated and thought provoking than what I was accustomed to in the USA. It was raffish and in your face not like a punch but maybe a pinch.

As I look at these ads, I see creative energy (of its time, mind you) unlike anything concurrent to my ongoing relationship with Duluth.

That said, I revisited Duluth last summer after a 25-year hiatus and I was ecstatic to find a vitality hitherto absent in the insipid, insular and extremely self-effacing city I left. It's youthful, creative, entrepreneurial, quietly confident in doing its own thing and I am so impressed and jubilant. The new culture and the economic rebound is perhaps reflected not in the traditional media but rather new media. 

And #be from Duluth on Instagram has some catchy, forward visuals and taglines reflecting the resurgence of Duluth. Sadly the Ridder newspaper empire has departed, Forum of Fargo runs the show now and the inexorable decline in media market share has diminished the network TV offering. However, The North(?), is that the former KUMD? was top notch radio in August when I was over. Maybe it's the indie markets where Duluth shines!!!