AAN News

Chicago Reader, Inc. President: 'I Guess it Was Time'new

"We've received so many overtures over the years and they’ve never come to pass," Bob Roth tells Reader media critic Michael Miner. "[But] we got a better offer than I expected." Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason tells the Washington Post it was an "eight-figure sale" and that he tried to buy the Reader's minority stakes in the Stranger, the Portland Mercury and the Amsterdam Weekly, but that Roth wouldn't sell. Miner tells the Chicago Tribune that the Reader staff is "discombobulated" at the moment. "This has been a very insular paper," Miner says. "We've seen other papers buffeted by change that hasn't affected us until now." Miner also reports that Reader publisher Mike Crystal and editor Alison True will remain with the paper, but production will be moved to Atlanta, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times. Production of City Paper will also be moved to Atlanta, where all four of Creative Loafing's papers are currently produced. Back in Washington, editor Erik Wemple says that budget cuts that had already begun will continue, but "there's no fat in our newsroom that I can identify and so this is difficult process. I refuse to pay freelancers less money, and so we'll have to get terribly, terribly creative." MORE COVERAGE: Forbes; Crain's; St. Petersburg Times; Chicago Public Radio.
Chicago Reader  |  07-25-2007  9:11 am  |  Industry News

Creative Loafing Inc. Acquires Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper

The Reader and City Paper, which were both controlled by the founders of the Reader, were acquired today by Creative Loafing Inc., which owns alt-weeklies in Atlanta, Tampa, Sarasota and Charlotte. "Our expansion into Chicago and Washington reflects our confidence in the future of alternative publishing -- in print, on the web and in other media as they emerge," CEO Ben Eason says in a statement. "We've had a great ride," the Chicago Reader Inc. owners say in a separate press statement released by president Bob Roth. "Now we're happily handing the keys to a new generation, Creative Loafing and their CEO Ben Eason. We're confident they will build on what we've established and carry it ably into the future." The Reader statement also notes that most of the company's shareholders will retain their minority interests in The Stranger, Portland Mercury, and Amsterdam Weekly through a company to be called Quarterfold, Inc. MORE: City Paper's Mike DeBonis reports that Eason told the staff that publisher Amy Austin and editor Erik Wemple will remain in their posts but some financial, technology, and production operations will be shifted to offices in Atlanta and Tampa. (FULL STORY)
Creative Loafing Inc. Press Release  |  07-24-2007  2:04 pm  |  Press Releases

AAN Adds 'Members Only' Content to Website

The little red "A" logo you see next to today's AAN News story on the Austin Chronicle means the full text of that story is available only to AAN members. Every so often, we'll use that designation to highlight features we've developed specifically for AAN members that you won't find anywhere else.
AAN Staff  |  07-23-2007  11:54 am  |  Association News

Realogy Chief: Newspaper Ad Spend to Shrink By As Much As Two-Thirdsnew

The president of the largest real estate brokerage company and franchisor says that the Coldwell Banker and Century 21 branding budgets for newspapers will shrink by as much as two-thirds next year from 2006, Inman Real Estate News reports. Realogy intends to slash its newspaper advertising budget to 70 percent of its home-sale ad spend by 2010, down from 84 percent this year, as it shifts more ad dollars online. Borrell Associates has found that online real estate advertising grew from a $1.2 billion in 2004 to a $1.7 billion in 2005, and will grow to a $3.1 billion by 2010.
Inman Real Estate News  |  07-20-2007  9:01 am  |  Industry News

Washington City Paper's 'Crafty Crew' on the Origin of Crafty Bastardsnew

Kim Dorn, Sara Dick, and Liz Eckstein tell Nest in a Q&A that the idea for City Paper's annual craft fair, which celebrates its fourth anniversary this year, originated in the heart of the classifieds section. "Through our free ads, we create a community marketplace where people can sell goods and services directly to each other. ... We had been tossing around the idea of hosting a big citywide yard sale," they say. "In the spring of 2004, the indie craft movement was just getting its legs and we decided it made more sense to do an arts-focused event. ... [Publisher Amy Austin] is a huge supporter of the arts and theatre and pretty much gave us free reign."
Nest  |  07-19-2007  12:06 pm  |  Industry News

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