AAN News
LEO Weekly Eliminates Listings from Print Editionnew
As part of a larger redesign, the paper has decided to pull listings from the printed page entirely. "We simply don't have the resources -- in people-power or page count -- to continue" printing listings, editor Stephen George writes. He notes that Louisville's Gannett papers have replaced much of their cultural reporting and criticism with listings. "We've realized that instead of trying to compete, we should fill the gaps," he writes. "Our real value to you, we believe, is our judgment and expertise on matters of arts and culture." To that end, LEO is launching a blog that will hip readers to cultural events the paper finds worthwhile.
LEO Weekly |
03-12-2009 9:06 am |
Industry News
Creative Loafing Back in Bankruptcy Court Todaynew
Atalaya Capital Management said in court this morning that if it assumed control of the six-paper chain, it would continue to operate the newspapers "as a going concern" and put more money into the company rather than sell it off, Wayne Garcia reports. Atalaya, CL's biggest creditor, is seeking to wrest ownership of the company from CEO Ben Eason because it has "lost confidence" in his management. MORE: Later in the day's hearing, an expert on valuation testified that CL's value as a company had dropped more than $7 million in the three months after it declared bankruptcy. CL will make its case in court on Thursday.
Creative Loafing (Tampa) |
03-11-2009 1:27 pm |
Industry News
More Than 1,000 Entries Submitted for 2009 AltWeekly Awards
Eighty-six alt-weeklies submitted 1038 entries for consideration in the 2009 AltWeekly Awards contest. The entries were spread over 21 categories, and, as expected, the total number of entries was down from 2008, by about 25 percent. Finalists for this year's contest will be announced in mid-May, and winners will be crowned at the AltWeekly Awards luncheon, to be held on Friday, June 26 during the 32nd annual AAN Convention in Tucson.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
03-09-2009 1:20 pm |
Association News
MediaNews Posits A Custom-Made Newspapernew
Media Daily News |
03-09-2009 3:06 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Design & Production, Management
Creative Loafing Cuts Executive Compensationnew
Starting in April, the six-paper chain will cut executive compensation by five to 15 percent, Washington City Paper's Erik Wemple reports. On a conference call today, COO Kirk MacDonald said that he and CEO Ben Eason will take the 15 percent cut and that others -- including publishers, sales executives, and top editors -- will get more moderate slices. Wemple is glad he didn't have to implement another round of layoffs. "This approach makes way more sense," he writes. "No depressing discussions with the staff today!" MORE: The Chicago Reader and Creative Loafing (Tampa) weigh in.
Washington City Paper |
03-04-2009 12:43 pm |
Industry News
Matt Groening's Comic Dropped by L.A. Weeklynew
The Simpsons creator and longtime alt-weekly cartoonist tells CNN that, after 22 years, "Life in Hell" is being dropped by its flagship paper. The cut is part of Village Voice Media's suspension of all syndicated cartoons. Groening hints he's thinking of discontinuing the cartoon. "I'm still in a bunch of other papers, so I may continue to do my strip," he says, "but it doesn't look good."
CNN |
03-03-2009 8:52 am |
Industry News
Metro Pulse Parent Company Implements Pay Cutsnew
E.W. Scripps Co. exempt employees will see a 5 percent pay cut and the salaries of nonexempt employees will decline by 3 percent. The cuts also include a suspension of the company's 401(k) match and a freeze of the Scripps pension plan. The pay freezes are expected to last for at least a year.
The Knoxville News-Sentinel |
02-20-2009 8:28 am |
Industry News
Port Folio Weekly's Print Edition to be Suspendednew
As part of ongoing cost-cutting by its parent company, the 26-year-old alt-weekly will publish its last print edition next week. Its website will remain, and the paper may resume publishing when the economy improves, according to Maurice Jones, president and publisher of the Virginian-Pilot, which owns Port Folio. The Pilot is also laying off 30 employees, including some at Port Folio.
The Virginian-Pilot |
02-19-2009 9:11 am |
Industry News
Columnist to Alt-Cartoonists: 'Don't Tell Me About Hard Times'new
"You're not picking cotton under a blazing Mississippi sun, man. You're not digging ditches in pools of raw sewage. You draw cartoons," San Diego CityBeat columnist Edwin Decker writes in response to alt-weekly cartoonists who've recently lamented the downturn in the alt-cartoon market. "There are a bizillion artists out there, writing, drawing and sculpting in obscurity, never to be paid a dime for their labor of love, or receive fanfare -- going out of their effin' minds every day craving something that resembles an audience or a paycheck." MORE: Lloyd Dangle of "Troubletown" responds, calling Decker's column "some of the most humorless, self-pitying, gen X, real-artists-must-starve hyperbole I've seen in a long time." And comic artist Jason Yungbluth has a bit of advice for Decker: "Let me suggest that you actually demonstrate some solidarity with the brothers of your profession instead of evacuating your bowels on them."
San Diego CityBeat |
02-18-2009 10:35 am |
Industry News
More on the Alt-Comics Meltdownnew
Washington City Paper recently saved $8,000 by dropping all of its syndicated comics, the Chicago Reader's Michael Miner reports. City Paper still carries one local strip, "Dirtfarm," only because author Ben Claassen lets the paper run it for free. "City Paper feels like family to me," Claassen tells Miner by way of explanation. But Lynda Barry, who quit her "Ernie Pook's Comeek" strip, and her friend Matt Groening are feeling less familial these days about their former alt-weekly clients. Nevertheless, Groening keeps plugging away, creating "Life in Hell" every week even though his success with The Simpsons has left him financially secure. "I like sitting down once a week and knocking something out all by myself," says Groening. "The rest of my life is full of collaborators."
Chicago Reader |
02-13-2009 3:30 pm |
Industry News
The Independent Weekly Wins 14 Awards in N.C. Contests
Independent Weekly Press Release |
02-13-2009 2:21 pm |
Press Releases
Oklahoma Gazette Wins Top Honors in State Press Association Awardsnew
The Gazette won one of nine 2008 Sequoyah Awards in this year's Oklahoma Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. The Sequoyah Award, the highest honor in the contest, is based on total points accumulated in all events. The alt-weekly received first place awards in News Content, Layout & Design, Advertising, Sales Promotion, In-Depth Enterprise, Personal Columns, Feature Writing and Photography. It placed second in Editorial Comment; third in Community Leadership; and fourth in News Writing. "A quality alternative weekly," one judge commented. "Great photography. Clever headlines ... wish our paper could attract all those plastic surgeon ads."
Oklahoma Press Association |
02-11-2009 8:42 am |
Honors & Achievements
Memphis Flyer Cuts Salariesnew
Editor Bruce VanWyngarden reports that employees at Flyer parent company Contemporary Media, Inc. are taking four or eight percent pay cuts, and that the company is suspending its 401(k) matching program. "The cuts are intended to be temporary and will be reevaluated at the end of the second quarter," VanWyngarden writes.
The Memphis Flyer |
02-06-2009 9:58 am |
Industry News
The New LEO Debutsnew
When the Louisville Eccentric Observer's new creative director joined the paper last year, she said it "looked crappy" and the logo was "dated and silly." Those problems were erased today when LEO hit the streets with a fresh design, coated stock and a new logo that editor Stephen George calls "mature and refined yet still with some kink." George also says the paper expanded several sections, added new features, and wrapped it all within an improved navigation scheme. The radical makeover at LEO coincides with a redesigned website that launched late last year.
Louisville Eccentric Observer |
02-05-2009 7:28 pm |
Industry News
Gambit Weekly Editor Chats About the State of Alt-Weekly Cartoonsnew
"The cutback in cartoons has less to do with the budget than it does with page counts going down," Kevin Allman tells "Idiot Box" cartoonist Matt Bors. "What you see as $25 for a cartoon, the publishers see as potential ad space that could sell for 10x that amount." Allman says that in New Orleans, they ended up sticking with local cartoonists rather than nationally syndicated ones. "Their drawings are the equivalent of local news stories," he says. "And I try to treat them with as much respect as I do the columnists, but they have to suffer too with the smaller page layouts."
Bors Blog |
02-03-2009 11:21 am |
Industry News
