AAN News
Confront Your Prius Envynew
Toyota's hybrid Prius is already a common sight in commuter heavy places like D.C. and L.A., but have you gotten to drive one yet? Toyota and a number of its hybrid, alternative fuel and future technology experts will be available to answer questions during the convention. Green and environmental reporters take note: The company's interactive exhibit will feature a full array of current model Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive vehicles -- the Prius, Camry and Highlander -- that can be taken for a test ride or drive. To sign up for the
hybrid ride and drive experience, talk to the reps staffing the Toyota booth in the trade show.
PortlAANd 2007 |
06-07-2007 1:24 pm |
Association News
Convention Attendance Shattering Records
It feels like the late 90's again here at AAN! As of this afternoon, there are approximately 580 members, non-members and exhibitors registered for this year's convention in Portland, which is now only one week away. We haven't seen numbers like this since the Phoenix convention in 2000. For a list of member and non-member registrants as of May 30, download this PDF.
PortlAANd 2007 |
06-06-2007 9:23 pm |
Association News
Free Transportation from the Airport
And we won't make you blog to qualify! If you were registered for the convention as of last week, be on the lookout for a Willamette Week envelope. For inside that envelope is a TriMet ticket good for a Max train ride from PDX to downtown Portland. The train leaves the airport every 15 minutes; after a 29-minute ride, it'll drop you at Pioneer Square, which is two blocks south of the Hilton.
PortlAANd 2007 |
06-05-2007 7:58 pm |
Association News
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden to Speak at AAN Convention
Oregon's senior senator, known for his interest in health care, technology and natural-resources issues, will address convention delegates the morning of Saturday, June 16. Before his election to the Senate in 1996, Wyden served 15 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. In a vote earlier this month, Wyden cosponsored the Feingold-Reid amendment calling for the mandated redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq. In 2002, the Democrat was one of only 23 senators who voted against the authorization of military force in Iraq.
PortlAANd 2007 |
05-31-2007 1:31 pm |
Association News
Former U.S. Attorney to Speak at First Amendment Lunch
David C. Iglesias is the former federal prosecutor for the District of New Mexico whose revelation about receiving an improper phone call from Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) was the spark that ignited the scandal presently engulfing U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and the Bush Administration. Iglesias will join us for lunch in Portland on Saturday, June 16, for our annual celebration of a free press, where he will be interviewed by Santa Fe Reporter editor Julia Goldberg. You've probably heard about Iglesias' role in the DOJ scandal, but did you know that the former United States Navy Reserve Captain was the basis for the character played by Tom Cruise in the movie A Few Good Men?
PortlAANd 2007 |
05-29-2007 12:57 pm |
Association News
Jim Hightower to Honor Molly Ivins' Legacy in Portland
Earlier this month, AAN presented the first annual Molly Ivins Award to MSNBC host Keith Olbermann. During the AltWeekly Awards lunch on Friday, June 15, author and radio commentator Hightower will help us to continue to celebrate the memory of his late friend and fellow Texan with a rousing tribute.
PortlAANd 2007 |
05-24-2007 6:22 pm |
Association News
More Details Reported About East Bay Express Deal
As the dust settles from Village Voice Media's sale of the Express to a consortium of independent owners, a clearer picture of the new paper is emerging. The Berkeley Daily Planet reports that former Pitch Weekly publisher Hal Brody is the paper's majority owner, with 51 percent of the stock. Brody tells the Bay Guardian that, in addition to himself, editor Stephen Buel and Monterey County Weekly's Bradley Zeve, there are three out-of-town investors in the paper. He also says that the Express' joint ad sales agreement with VVM's SF Weekly will continue "indefinitely," and that the paper will continue to be represented in national ad sales by Ruxton. Meanwhile, Buel tells the Daily Planet that VVM "doesn't do well in places with competition." He adds: "If you look at the paper in the past year or so, you will see that it has gotten a lot thinner ... they didn't do well here." Buel also says that while the Express remains a defendant in the Bay Guardian's predatory pricing lawsuit, VVM agreed to assume all responsibility for the litigation. Finally, Buel writes on the Express' blog that more changes are afoot: a 5,000 bump in circulation and a tightening of the distribution area. He says the new owners also plan to address "changes to the format and design of the newspaper [that] made it a far less hospitable home for small advertisers, and placed limits on our community news coverage."
Berkeley Daily Planet | San Francisco Bay Guardian |
05-23-2007 8:57 am |
Industry News
Attention Golfersnew
It's not too late to sign up for the 2007 Golf Outing on June 14. Registration is a snap: Simply send Willamette Week sales rep Andrew Shenker an e-mail and arrange payment in advance or for the day of the tournament. Join Andrew and Musicfest NW Director Trevor Solomon in the Hilton Portland (main building) lobby at 7 a.m. for your 8 a.m. tee time at either Eastmoreland or Heron Lakes Golf Course. The $75-per-person fee includes golf, lunch, refreshments and transportation.
PortlAANd 2007 |
05-21-2007 12:08 pm |
Association News
Group of Alt-Weekly Vets to Buy East Bay Express
In a press release issued this afternoon, Village Voice Media says it is selling its Emeryville-based paper to an investment group led by current editor Stephen Buel, AAN veteran Hal Brody, and Express co-founder Kelly Vance. Monterey County Weekly founder and CEO Bradley Zeve is also one of the investors. Brody, who owned Pitch Weekly in Kansas City until he sold it to New Times in 1999, will take over as publisher. The Express, which was founded in 1978, has been owned by New Times/VVM since 2001. "It's great that Hal and Steve will be taking over the Express," VVM chief executive officer Jim Larkin says. "They are amazingly talented people who will devote themselves to continuing the paper's excellence." Editing the Express "is the best job I've ever had," Buel says. "It will be an honor to build upon the legacies left by the founders and Village Voice Media."
(FULL STORY)
Village Voice Media Press Release |
05-17-2007 5:09 pm |
Press Releases
CVS Stops Carrying Alt-Weekly; Protests & Arrests Ensuenew
When CVS took over Osco Drug in Milwaukee, the Shepherd Express was told to remove its news racks from the stores. Since then, free-lance journalist Jeff White has been standing vigil in protest outside one of the stores for about 20 hours a week. Last week, White and a man he was chatting with were arrested after a CVS manager called the cops to complain. Shepherd publisher Louis Fortis says he's called the company's headquarters to determine why they stopped carrying the paper, but hasn't received a response. But he says he's heard that a customer complained about the paper's criticism of President Bush and the Iraq War. "CVS has every right to not carry the Shepherd, but I don't believe that the top management at CVS would want to politicize their retail stores," Fortis says. "It would be a shame if CVS became a pharmacy that only catered to conservative Republicans."
Shepherd Express |
05-17-2007 2:01 pm |
Industry News
Huffington, Taibbi and Hamsher to Talk Politics in Portlandnew
That's Arianna Huffington (pictured) of Huffington Post and NPR, Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone, and Jane Hamsher of firedoglake.com. They'll share ideas about national and local election coverage in a Friday afternoon panel at this year's convention. The panel will be moderated by Willamette Week editor Mark Zusman.
PortlAANd 2007 |
05-17-2007 11:40 am |
Association News
Looking for Some Web Training?new
We'll have it for you next month in Portland, where there will be at least a dozen different Web-focused presentations and panels, from an eyetracking seminar by a representative of Poynter Institute to sessions on web metrics and analytics, and online real estate marketing.
PortlAANd 2007 |
05-16-2007 12:11 am |
Association News
Nashville Mayor Vetoes News Box Ordinancenew
Last month, the city's Metro Council passed legislation restricting the placement of news boxes and requiring publishers to pay permit fees and maintain their newsracks in good repair. But yesterday, as expected, Mayor Bill Purcell vetoed the bill. "The ordinance before me is an abridgement of a free press and raises significant First Amendment issues,” Purcell says. Meanwhile, 22 publishers, including AAN member the Nashville Scene, are working on a self-monitoring agreement intended to be a substitute for legislation. Twenty-seven votes would be necessary to override Purcell's veto -- the same number of votes that originally passed the legislation.
The City Paper |
05-16-2007 8:37 am |
Industry News
Popular Consultant to Address Alt-Weekly Management Challenges
Given their unique organizational cultures, hiring and retaining staff at AAN papers presents a distinct set of challenges. Laura Dell, who serves as a management consultant for several alt-weeklies, understands what's at stake as well as anyone. Following several highly rated presentations at the last two AAN conventions, Dell returns for an double encore this year in Portland. She'll help publishers and senior managers hire the right people ("Smart Hiring: Attracting and Capturing the Best"), and she'll work with editors to increase staff motivation and productivity ("Talent Management: Directing and Energizing Editorial Staff").
PortlAANd 2007 |
05-14-2007 5:58 pm |
Association News
Keith Olbermann Presented With First Annual Molly Ivins Award
At a midday reception in New York last Wednesday, Olbermann accepted the award from AAN president and Memphis Flyer publisher Ken Neill. Olbermann spoke of the crucial role that alt-weeklies played post-9/11 as "the way out of the maze" of suspended disbelief; of the continuing importance to think and question what those in power do and say; and of his foray into the realm of political reporting and commentary.
(FULL STORY)
AAN News |
05-14-2007 10:52 am |
Association News
