CONTACT INFORMATION: Tommy Russo, Publisher
tommy (at) mauitime.com
Phone: 808-283-0512
www.mauitime.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2007
WAILUKU, HI -- Maui Time Weekly, Maui's only locally owned, independent newspaper, celebrates its 10th anniversary this week by publishing one of its biggest issues ever.
"We live in a time media mergers and conglomerates, when it seems big multi-national corporations control everything and there's no room for locally owned, independent news sources," founder/publisher Tommy Russo said. "And when you factor in Hawai'i's notoriously tough business climate and the decline of the newspaper industry as a whole, it's especially remarkable we were not only able to survive for 10 years, but also grow and expand into a real journalistic force. It's been tough at times, but giving a voice to those otherwise ignored by the mainstream media has been tremendously fulfilling."
To celebrate the often irreverent, always interesting paper's quirky, controversial and sometimes chaotic life, Maui Time turned its June 28, 2007 anniversary issue over to the people who've both benefited from its coverage and felt its sting. The paper asked local activists, public officials, land developers, community leaders, artists, musicians, former employees and even a Penthouse Pet to give their thoughts, memories and criticisms of Maui Time's coverage. All were told they could write whatever they wanted about the paper, and no one would cut or respond to what they had to say.
"As far as special issues are concerned, it's a risky think to do," Russo said. "A lot of people enthusiastically took us up on the offer, and their words show the paper's history and impact far better than anything we could have written."
Maui Time Weekly first published on June 24, 1997, less than 30 days after founders Mark D'Antonio and Tommy Russo graduated from Chico State University and moved to Maui. What began as a small bi-weekly running surf stories, community features and the island's first true entertainment calendar, the paper has slowly, sometimes painfully evolved into an alternative weekly with an edgy, provocative take on news, arts and entertainment. A member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) since 2003, Maui Time Weekly publishes 18,000 free copies every Thursday, reaching over 40,000 readers every week.
