Interest in mass media is increasing as anthropologists not only begin to regard mass media as salient features in their communities of study, but also as researchers begin to examine forms of media themselves as social sites of meaning creation. While older theoretical models tend to view mass media as a 'top down' process which can be used to manipulate or mislead passive receivers, empirical data and newer observations illustrate that mass media are active components of a dynamic social and cultural landscape. Building on this perspective, this study examines the social site of production of a large circulation urban alternative weekly publication. Using a broad based literature review as well as long term participant observation, this study examines the paper's institutional identity as 'alternative' as well its historical relations to underground newspapers and subsequent development into a freely distributed vehicle for advertising. This study ends with a discussion of the implications of the increasing commoditization of cultural production in contemporary society.