AAN News
Folio Weekly Story Leads Ethics Commission to Ask for Meetingnew
"Has anybody seen this?," asked Jacksonville Ethics Commission member Pat Sher at the commission's meeting this week. She was holding a Folio story detailing how the city withheld public records from the paper for years. "I have, and I have gotten calls about this from concerned citizens. The public is concerned about the withholding of public records. We need to make sure the public is getting the information they request." The Jacksonville Daily Record reports the commission ultimately voted 5-3 to request that the city's general counsel meet with the Ethics Commission to discuss the accusations made in the Folio article.
The Jacksonville Daily Record |
10-22-2008 8:41 am |
Industry News
AP Launches Verve Wireless-Powered Mobile App for BlackBerrynew
Online Media Daily |
10-22-2008 9:30 am |
Industry News
Editors in Tampa and Philly Bet on World Series
Creative Loafing (Tampa) editor David Warner (who used to work at Philadelphia City Paper) and City Paper editor Brian Howard (who didn't work in Tampa, but whose grandfather lives there) make a friendly wager on the Rays and Phillies and, most importantly, find a way to create a poll that drives traffic on their blogs.
Creative Loafing (Tampa) | Philadelphia City Paper |
10-21-2008 1:19 pm |
Industry News
Ben Eason Corrects the Recordnew
Creative Loafing Inc.'s CEO says former staffer Steve Fennessy's coverage of his company's bankruptcy filing is mistaken in several respects. Eason says that Fennessy is "mis-reading the strength of CL's open and resilient culture and how this relates to its financial and journalistic success," and that he is not accounting "for the fundamental macro issues facing media companies and their financial footings." Eason also admits that court documents (pdf) filed last week by Creative Loafing were mistaken: Its July-to-September revenues were $8.3 million -- not $3.5 million, as the document states -- with print revenue declining 15 percent and online sales up 180 percent during that period, on a year-over-year basis.
Atlanta Magazine |
10-21-2008 12:57 pm |
Industry News
Grapevine, Texas, Proposes Ban on News Boxesnew
The city of about 50,000 residents near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is proposing an outright ban on news boxes in its historic downtown district, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Councilwoman Darlene Freed says the council, which will hold a public hearing on the issue next month, is divided on the ban. Freed says the boxes "are not particularly attractive, but I think you have to have access to newspapers on Main Street ... it's about the First Amendment." Freed also says she's talking with city officials about regulating the boxes rather than banning them. "I suggest they should at least talk with publishers about resolving these issues," says Fort Worth Weekly publisher Lee Newquist, who has several news boxes along the city's Main Street corridor.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram |
10-20-2008 11:58 am |
Industry News
NOW Magazine Columnist Releases Book on Global Food Issuesnew
Wayne Roberts' The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food covers the loss of "real food," the growing dominance of Western agribusiness, and successful alternative practices based on the concept of community food security. Roberts, who writes about food issues for NOW, is also active in the community food security movement, serving on the board of the Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada, and coordinating the Toronto Food Policy Council. "[The book] clocks in at just under 200 pages and is a great primer for how the global food system really works," writes Jeff Nield in a review on Treehugger.com.
Between the Lines Books |
10-20-2008 9:07 am |
Industry News
Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason Named 'Business Leader to Watch'new
The St. Petersburg Times |
10-20-2008 9:47 am |
Industry News
UBS Cuts 2009 Ad Spend Estimates by 6 Percentnew
Media Daily News |
10-20-2008 9:09 am |
Industry News
Art Students Reimagine Philadelphia City Paper News Boxesnew
City Paper publisher Paul Curci invited graphic design and industrial design students from the University of the Arts to rework the paper's street boxes, and "the results are, by and large, stunning," according to editor Brian Howard. The mock-ups use ideas ranging from the utilitarian (a box that collects rain water and funnels it into a street-level dog bowl) to the futuristic (the "multi-lingual distributional information kiosk" pictured at left which features solar power, USB and headphone ports, and allows individuals to print out personalized issues of the paper). A jury that included arts professionals and Curci chose winners, some of which may be produced in the coming year.
Philadelphia City Paper |
10-17-2008 12:44 pm |
Industry News
East Bay Express Circ Manager Nabs Newspaper Thievesnew
Express president Hal Brody tells the Berkeley Daily Planet that the paper's circulation manager saw two men in a white van stealing free circulation newspapers from street racks on Wednesday morning and made a citizen's arrest. After the Berkeley police arrived and processed the arrest, the two suspects were charged with theft of free publications, driving on the wrong side of the road and driving with expired plates.
The Berkeley Daily Planet |
10-17-2008 10:44 am |
Industry News
Court Filings Shed Light on Creative Loafing's Financesnew
According to a case management summary (pdf) filed in Creative Loafing's bankruptcy proceedings on Monday, revenues are off at the six-paper alt-weekly chain. Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy reports that when CL was looking for financing to purchase the Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper, it projected the expanded company would see revenues of $43 million in fiscal year 2008. But the court filing says that revenue in FY08, ending June 30, 2008, was $35 million, and predicts that sales in the first quarter of FY09 will be only $3.5 million. In other CL bankruptcy news, Washington City Paper has published a statement from one of the company's lenders, Atalaya, which says the bankruptcy filing was "unfortunate and unnecessary," and assures "all interested parties that Atalaya has no intention of attempting to shut down the business." MORE: City Paper editor Erik Wemple talks to the George Washington University student paper The Hatchet about the changes in store as the paper shifts focus.
Atlanta Magazine | Washington City Paper |
10-16-2008 11:43 am |
Industry News
Survey: Digital Ad Spend Up At The Expense of Traditionalnew
The Center for Media Research |
10-16-2008 8:58 am |
Industry News
Another Alt-Weekly Alum Aims for the Oval Officenew
Former City Newspaper typesetter Gloria La Riva is running for president, the Rochester, N.Y., alt-weekly reports. La Riva, who worked at City in the late 1970s, is on the ballot in 12 states as the Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate. Former San Antonio Current staffer Kat Swift also mounted a presidential run this election cycle, aiming for the Green Party nod. She ultimately endorsed the Green nominee Cynthia McKinney.
City Newspaper |
10-15-2008 11:05 am |
Industry News
Tags: Management, City Newspaper
Pro-Obama Ad from Republican Candidate Runs in Omaha's The Readernew
ABC News |
10-15-2008 10:52 am |
Industry News
Tags: Retail Advertising, The Reader
Online Display Ad Prices Fall To Lowest Point This Yearnew
Online Media Daily |
10-15-2008 8:29 am |
Industry News
