Inducted 2010
Although his first job out of college was working as a newspaper reporter in New York, Ray Hartmann hit his stride after returning to St. Louis. In March of 1977, at the age of 24, he founded Hartmann Publishing and its initial publication, Profile St. Louis. Within months, that paper was dropped and the Riverfront Times was born. Under his ownership, the RFT became one of the ten largest alternative newsweeklies in the nation, and it was twice named Missouri’s top news weekly. He sold the paper and bought St. Louis Magazine, where he served as CEO. Ray was showered with local and national honors, and he was also a popular member of the weekly panel on “Donnybrook” on KETC-TV.
