Around 2004-2007, Tampa had a local zine called Rivot Rag. They would distribute copies of the publication all over Tampa Bay (metal bars, book shops, music shops, etc). The editor-in-chief pretty much disappeared after the publication folded.
I think that Rivot Rag had its head in the right place (helping to centralize the scene in Tampa), but failed to break even because they pretty much just gave the issues away with very limited advertising.
Perhaps local scenes would be more organized with having a centralized publication (both online and in print) to keep up with all of the happenings.