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AAN |
10-20-2008 9:35 am |
Association 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
Monterey County Weekly: Looking Good at 20
The Weekly celebrates an historic milestone with a special 20th anniversary issue that hit the streets (and the web) yesterday. The 200-page issue, which is saddle stitched and features the Weekly's first-ever glossy cover, "takes a long backwards glance at the people, the institutions, the buildings, the parties and the natural disasters that have helped shape the community" since Coast Weekly (the paper's original name) debuted in the fall of 1988. "The community support has been fantastic for this issue, in much the same way it has been for the last twenty years," says founder and CEO Bradley Zeve.
(FULL STORY)
Monterey County Weekly Press Release |
10-10-2008 8:18 am |
Press Releases
Still More on the Creative Loafing Bankruptcy Filingnew
On Atlanta Magazine's blog, former Creative Loafing (Atlanta) staffer Steve Fennessy talks to Ben Eason -- who he calls "a tireless networker with a love of jargon" -- and a few worried staffers about this week's filing. Eason reiterates a few points he's been making to the press this week, and adds that, despite his web-first strategy, he doesn't envision a time when his publications don't produce actual newspapers. MORE: Read more from Creative Loafing's John Sugg, Washington City Paper's Angela Valdez, Gawker, and consultant Mark Potts.
Atlanta Magazine |
10-02-2008 12:31 pm |
Industry News
| Comments (2)
More on Creative Loafing's Bankruptcy Protection Filing
When Creative Loafing filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, the news was widely reported. AAN News scoured the wires, separated the wheat from the chaff, and collected some of the pertinent information and opinion.
(FULL STORY)
AAN News |
09-30-2008 1:27 pm |
Industry News
Creative Loafing Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protectionnew
The company, which owns Creative Loafing papers in Atlanta, Charlotte, Sarasota and Tampa, as well as the Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this morning, the St. Petersburg Times reports. City Paper editor Erik Wemple reports that CEO Ben Eason discussed the filing with top company officials in a conference call this morning, and said that the bankruptcy filing would allow CL's six papers to establish a greater online presence while the company reorganizes its operations. A corporate memo on the filing says it "has little to do with the acquisition" of the Reader and City Paper last year. Eason also said that the move entails no liquidation or layoffs. In fact, the Chapter 11 filing will roll back editorial staff cuts at the papers, Wemple writes. MORE: Read more about the move from Creative Loafing (Tampa), the Reader, Crain's and Bloomberg News.
The St. Petersburg Times | Washington City Paper |
09-29-2008 12:15 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Circulation, Classified Advertising, Design & Production, Editorial, Electronic Publishing, Financial, Management, Marketing, Retail Advertising, CL, Inc., Washington City Paper, Chicago Reader, Creative Loafing (Atlanta), Creative Loafing (Charlotte), Creative Loafing (Tampa), Creative Loafing (Sarasota), Ben Eason, Erik Wemple
Boise Weekly Eliminates Ad Director Position
Longtime ad director Nancy E. Spittle is leaving the Weekly after seven years "to pursue new professional adventures," according to a press release. Her position will not be filled -- instead, the Weekly has hired two additional account executives. "Even though Boise Weekly still has positive revenue growth over last year, the economy requires all companies to tighten ship and work hard to increase revenue and improve performance in sales," the press release notes.
(FULL STORY)
Boise Weekly Press Release |
09-26-2008 8:00 am |
Press Releases
Missoula Independent Wants City's Legal Noticesnew
At the Monday meeting of Missoula's city council, Independent owner and publisher Matt Gibson said he wants the city to be able to place its mandatory legal notices in the alt-weekly, rather than in a paid newspaper, the Missoulian reports. Gibson told the council that Missoula County places such ads in the Independent, and saves about $20,000 a year by doing so. The problem is that Montana law says cities must run the legal notices in a paid newspaper. Gibson told the council he'd like the Montana League of Cities and Towns to take up the matter during the upcoming legislative session.
The Missoulian |
09-17-2008 9:57 am |
Industry News
How Wall Street Meltdown Will Affect Ad Spendingnew
Advertising Age |
09-16-2008 9:26 am |
Industry News
Gambit Weekly is Back in Business
After distributing this week's issue one day early, on Saturday, so readers fleeing Hurricane Gustav could grab a copy on their way out of town, about half of Gambit's staff are back in the office today, publisher Margo DuBos tells AAN News. The entire staff of 35 are expected back tomorrow. Much of New Orleans is still without power, but Gambit is running on a generator purchased after Katrina, furiously working on next week's issue, which will see the light of day on Monday, just one day after the paper's unusual Sunday street date. The alt-weekly also kept a steady pace of blogging over at the Blog of New Orleans before, during, and after the storm.
AAN News |
09-04-2008 1:40 pm |
Industry News
New Owners Shuffle the Editorial Deck at Worcester Magazinenew
With the exception of one person, the entire editorial staff will no longer have jobs at the paper tomorrow when the sale to Holden Landmark Corp. closes, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports. Three non-editorial staffers also will not be offered jobs with the new company, and one full-time position will be made part-time. "As we merge the Holden Landmark Corp. and Worcester Magazine, we are retaining 88 percent of the combined company's employment base," the paper's new publisher Gareth Charter says in a staff memo explaining the changes. Jim Keogh, current editor-in-chief of the Holden Landmark newspaper group, will take the reins as editor of Worcester Magazine, and Doreen Manning will be the paper's arts & entertainment editor. Outgoing editor-in-chief Noah Bombard tells the Telegram & Gazette that while he expected to lose his job as a result of the sale, he was "stunned" by the depth of the changes. "Cuts were expected, but nobody expected them at this level," he says. MORE: Read Bombard's farewell email.
Worcester Telegram & Gazette |
08-28-2008 8:30 am |
Industry News
Four More AAN Papers Join SelectAlternatives
The three New Mass. Media papers -- Hartford Advocate, Fairfield County Weekly and New Haven Advocate -- and the one former member of the chain -- Valley Advocate -- have signed on to use SelectAlternatives' local personals/dating software, according to a press release. That brings the total number of AAN members using SelectAlternatives to 25.
(FULL STORY)
Sutcliffe Associates Press Release |
08-22-2008 9:00 am |
Press Releases
Cleveland Scene Editor: The War is Over, and Neither Side Won or Lostnew
"A month ago we were enemies, hunkered down in bunkers and trying to will each other into starvation or surrender; today, we share the same fax machine and make small talk in the elevators," Frank Lewis says of the now-merged Cleveland Free Times and Scene. "And between deadlines and the seemingly endless details inherent in merging two operations -- packing and unpacking, integrating computer systems, finding the goddamn coffee -- there's just been no time to nurse grudges." He adds: "What matters most now is figuring out what to do with this rare opportunity -- in the Rust Belt, at least -- to leave behind the hand-to-mouth, week-to-week existence, the paranoia and bitterness, and figure out how to make the most of a more stable future."
Cleveland Scene |
07-24-2008 11:41 am |
Industry News
AAN Board Member Gets Married by East Bay Express
The Santa Barbara Independent's Robby Robbins, who is AAN's Classified Advertising Chair, was married on July 2 to longtime partner Bryan O'Quinn as part of the Express' Wedding Wednesdays promotion. The paper chose six couples to be married to celebrate same-sex couples' newfound right to legally marry in California. In attendance at the July 2 ceremony were a number of Independent staffers who drove up from Santa Barbara, as well as Gloria Mock, advertising director of North Carolina's Independent Weekly, where Robbins previously worked. "Bryan and I are so grateful to the East Bay Express, [publisher] Jody Colley, and all
their partners/vendors for making this wonderful time more spectacular than
we could ever have imagined," Robbins tells AAN News via email. For more photos click here, and for a video montage of all six weddings, click here.
AAN News |
07-22-2008 1:38 pm |
Industry News
The Village People Use Village Voice Classifieds to Recruit Membersnew
WWNY-TV |
07-11-2008 7:42 am |
Industry News
