AAN News
Creative Loafing's Day in Court 'Was Pretty Humdrum'new
That's what sources tell Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy about the first court date of the company's bankruptcy protection hearings. Next week, CL CEO Ben Eason has to submit his restructuring plan, which will then be discussed in court. In other CL-related news, The Sunday Paper's publisher and investor answer some questions about that paper's proposed expansion into two more CL cities (Charlotte and Tampa).
Atlanta Magazine | The Sunday Paper |
12-11-2008 10:55 am |
Industry News
Laid-Off Daily Paper Cartoonist Publishes His Farewell in Alt-Weeklynew
After the news broke that Des Moines Register editorial cartoonist Brian Duffy was laid off as part of Gannett's nationwide cuts last week, Cityview editor/publisher Shane Goodman got in touch with Duffy and offered him a full page to publish whatever he wanted. Duffy took the alt-weekly up on the offer, and this week Cityview published his "farewell" editorial cartoon. "The Register lost an Iowa icon by dropping Duffy from their staff, and they are quickly finding that out ... the hard way," Goodman says in a note to readers.
Politicker.com | Cityview |
12-11-2008 9:23 am |
Industry News
Verve Wireless Rolls Out Mobile Coupon Applicationnew
Editor & Publisher |
12-11-2008 11:51 am |
Industry News
Creative Loafing (Sarasota) Has a New Editor
Cooper Levey-Baker took over as editor last month, after a stint as a field organizer for the Obama campaign in Sarasota County. Levey-Baker started at CL as an intern in 2004, and then worked as events editor, music writer, and arts writer until he left to work for Obama this year. "I'm really looking forward to engage more with local politics here in the area," he tells AAN News, "and to improve both our paper and the website so that we become the hub for the cool side of Sarasota."
AAN News |
12-10-2008 3:00 pm |
Industry News
Worcester Magazine's New Owners Talk Shopnew
When Holden Landmark, a subsidiary of Cracked Rock Media, purchased the alt-weekly in August, the new owners were "taken off guard by the backlash," the Worcester Business Journal Reports. New publisher Gareth Charter and his boss Kirk Davis say that economics forced them to make deep cuts to their newest property, a move that was heavily criticized. Though some observers have thought of the deal as an odd fit, with Landmark's focus on suburban community papers, Davis says the acquisition makes perfect sense to them. "Worcester is the capital of Central Massachusetts," he says. "We've got a lot of Worcester business in our suburban titles, so it's not like this market was unknown to us." Davis and Charter also say that fears of a "suburbanized" WoMag are unfounded, and point to a recent story to prove that Landmark wants to keep the alt-weekly's edge.
The Worcester Business Journal |
12-10-2008 11:03 am |
Industry News
Analyst: Overabundance Will Drive Down Online Ad Channelsnew
Online Media Daily |
12-10-2008 11:05 am |
Industry News
Advocate Freelancer Weighs in on Tribune Bankruptcy Filingnew
"What does this mean for the Advocates? Who the fuck knows? We're so low in the Tribune food chain that we're not even mentioned in the annual reports," writes Christopher Arnott, who spent 17 years as an Advocate staffer before going full-time freelance. "The Advocate's sucked it up before and [stayed] alive in hard times. Let's hope the corporation gives it the chance to do it again."
New Haven Advocate |
12-09-2008 9:12 am |
Industry News
Eugene Weekly Starting to See Ads Drop Offnew
In a story about the media industry's woes in the Daily Emerald, the University of Oregon's student paper, the Weekly's director of sales and marketing Bill Shreve says the poor national economy seems to have only recently began to catch up to the Eugene economy. He tells the Emerald that "retail is off a little bit" in the last month, and that while the Weekly hasn't been hit as hard as some other media outlets, the staff is "extremely cautious."
The Daily Emerald |
12-09-2008 8:30 am |
Industry News
Interactive Advertising Bureau Issues Audience Reach Guidelinesnew
Online Media Daily |
12-09-2008 8:31 am |
Industry News
Boise Weekly Publisher Calls for Temporary Salary Cutsnew
At the paper's regular Friday meeting, Sally Freeman asked the staff to take a 10 percent cut in pay through the end of March to help ward off damage done by weak ad sales. "After the quick announcement, Freeman cried a little and then offered to meet with each of her workers individually," Weekly editor Nathaniel Hoffman reports. Freeman tells Hoffman that the paper's annual revenue is down 4 percent compared to 2007, and it came in $90,000 below budget in the last six to seven weeks.
Boise Weekly |
12-08-2008 4:04 pm |
Industry News
Pasadena Weekly Received Obama Assassination-Threat Letternew
In August, in an envelope with a fake name and address, the Weekly received the piece of paper pictured at left, the paper reports in last week's cover story. "After sharing the letter's twisted contents with Deputy Editor Joe Piasecki and City Reporter Andre Coleman, we duplicated it for our own investigation and possible use in a future story, and then turned all the evidence over to the cops," editor Kevin Uhrich notes. "They, in turn, turned all of that over to the Secret Service. The cops took all our names, phone numbers and emails for federal agents, but the Secret Service has not called us and will not comment now when we call them with questions. Apparently they are very busy these days with all sorts of open or veiled threats being made against our new president."
Pasadena Weekly |
12-08-2008 2:35 pm |
Industry News
Film Based on Houston Press Stories Heads to Sundancenew
I Love You Phillip Morris, starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, is based on a series of stories by former Press reporter Steve McVicker about relentless con man Steven Russell. The film "will be showing at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, and publicity is starting to build," the Press reports. McVicker, who now works for a Houston attorney, makes a cameo in the film as a judge.
Houston Press |
12-08-2008 12:57 pm |
Industry News
Tribune Co. Reportedly Considering Bankruptcy Filingnew
The embattled Tribune Company, which owns three AAN papers, has hired an investment bank and law firm in recent days to advise the company on a possible trip through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to the Wall Street Journal. Tribune owns the Fairfield County Weekly, Hartford Advocate and New Haven Advocate. Sources tell the Journal that a filing could come as early as this week. UPDATE (4:05 pm): The company did indeed file for bankruptcy protection today, and will stop making interest payments on $12 billion in debt as it attempts to restructure its loans, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Wall Street Journal |
12-08-2008 9:54 am |
Industry News
Atlanta Weekly Looks to Expand to Charlotte and Tampa by May 2009new
The Sunday Paper publisher Patrick Best announced his plans on Friday, citing the troubles of Creative Loafing -- which owns papers in Atlanta, Charlotte and Tampa -- as a major reason. "While we planned to go to both of these markets in the next few years, the troubles of the parent company of the major newsweeklies in both cities have convinced us to accelerate our plans," he says. Best, who was Creative Loafing (Atlanta)'s advertising director before launching The Sunday Paper, recently offered CL CEO Ben Eason $1 million for the Loaf's Atlanta publication. Best's expansion plans are being helped by funding from Brian Conley, the former owner of Knoxville, Tenn., AAN member Metro Pulse and current shareholder of Sunday Paper Publishing. Meanwhile, Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy reports that Eason's main creditor filed a motion (PDF) on Friday claiming CL has not been forthcoming in explaining budgets and cash flow forecasts. The CL bankruptcy protection case is scheduled to go before a judge on Wednesday.
The Sunday Paper | Atlanta Magazine |
12-08-2008 8:09 am |
Industry News
iPhone Grows Rapidly as Internet & Entertainment Devicenew
The Center for Media Research |
12-08-2008 9:21 am |
Industry News
