AAN News
Alt-Weekly Food Column Expands to Include a Catering Businessnew
Four years ago, Alex Brown and Evan George started writing the "Hot Knives" column in AAN member LA Alternative Press (later known simply as LA Alternative). The paper went web-only in 2006 shortly before disappearing altogether, but the duo continued the column, and eventually expanded to catering after readers approached them to do a wedding. George tells the Los Angeles Times they love cooking for fans. "People who are like, 'Oh yeah, I've been up late at night at my computer and I've been hungry and I've totally wanted to hang out in that website, and now I can hire those guys to chill with me and drink beer and make me my wedding feast,'" he says.
Los Angeles Times |
06-10-2009 8:19 am |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Management
Metro Spirit Editor to Leave Paper
Tom Grant, who has edited the Augusta, Ga., alt-weekly since October 2005, will be leaving his post in late July. "The last four years have been an exciting time for Metro Spirit and we've accomplished a lot together," Grant says in a statement. "Metro Spirit is ready for a new voice and the paper and I have agreed that it's a good time for someone new to write the next chapter of Spirit's history." The paper is currently undertaking a nationwide search for a replacement.
(FULL STORY)
Metro Spirit Press Release |
06-09-2009 3:01 pm |
Press Releases
VVM Strategist Talks Social Media, Journalismnew
In a Q&A with The Future Buzz, Village Voice Media social media strategist John Boitnott talks about how VVM is merging traditional journalism work with social media work. "What we are realizing at [VVM] is that one's effectiveness as a journalist now may depend to some degree on your social media prowess," he says. "It's absolutely a revolutionary concept -- and one that many old schoolers may scoff at or ignore."
The Future Buzz |
06-09-2009 2:32 pm |
Industry News
Another Livingston Win for Village Voice Media
VVM points out that with John Dickerson of the Phoenix New Times' win this week, the company's writers have racked up four Livingston Awards in the past decade.
(FULL STORY)
Village Voice Media Press Release |
06-05-2009 1:35 pm |
Press Releases
Long Island Press Fares Well in Regional SPJ Awardsnew
When the Press Club of Long Island, the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, announced the winners of its 2009 Media Awards contest at its annual awards dinner Thursday night, Long Island's only alt-weekly came away with a total of 17 awards. The Press won two "all media" awards -- Brad Pareso was named Cub Reporter of the Year, and the paper was named a co-winner (with Newsday) of the Robert Greene Public Service Award for a story on heroin use in the area. (That story is also up for a Public Service AltWeekly Award.) In competition with other weeklies, the Press won first-place awards in the following categories: Arts, Business/Economic/Financial, Deadline News, Feature, Government/Politics, and Non-Deadline News.
Press Club of Long Island |
06-05-2009 10:01 am |
Honors & Achievements
Who Knew? Bill O'Reilly Wrote for Alt-Weeklies in the 70snew
In his latest book, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, the controversial Fox News host reflects on his days attending Boston University in the 1970s. He notes that once he was bitten by the journalism bug, he started being published in Boston's alt-weeklies. "I ran around Boston annoying the hell out of everyone, but bringing back good, crisp copy," O'Reilly writes. "In addition to the Free Press [BU's student paper], I got stuff published in the Boston Phoenix and the Real Paper. Then, I recycled the articles into class assignments. Somehow, this worked out great. How could I get a bad grade if somebody had paid me for a piece and it ran on page two?"
BU Today |
06-04-2009 11:05 am |
Industry News
Phoenix New Times Scribe Wins Livingston Awardnew
John Dickerson has been named the 2008 Livingston Award winner for local reporting for "The Doctor is Out," a three-part series on medical standards and regulation in Arizona. The Livingstons are limited to journalists under the age of 35 and are the largest all-media, general-reporting prizes in the country. This marks the second year in a row that an alt-weekly has won the award, which comes with a $10,000 prize. Dickerson's series is also an AltWeekly Award finalist in the investigative reporting category.
Livingston Awards |
06-04-2009 8:46 am |
Honors & Achievements
Blog, Cartoon & Music Reporting Finalists Announced
The finalists for the last three AltWeekly Award categories are now in. The leaders in the large-circulation and small-circulation divisions each picked up an additional award, with The Village Voice increasing its overall award count to ten, and the Santa Fe Reporter swelling its total to
six.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
06-03-2009 4:18 pm |
Association News
Academy for Alternative Journalism Alum is Killednew
Tess Martinez died Monday in a car accident in New Mexico. She was 25 years old. Martinez was one of 10 Academy for Alternative Journalism fellows in 2008 and a former Tucson Weekly intern. The Weekly reports that she was on her way to the Chicago area to look for work when the accident happened. Her Twitter page lists her last message -- sent at 3:44 pm on Saturday -- as: "driving to Chicago tonight."
Tucson Weekly |
06-03-2009 1:51 pm |
Association News
Former Dallas Observer Editor's Book is Outnew
Julie Lyons, the evangelical Christian who stepped down as Observer editor in late 2007, has written a book on her religious transformation. Holy Roller was released yesterday by WaterBrook Press, a subsidiary of Random House. In an interview with Beliefnet, Lyons, who wrote a popular and at-times controversial "Bible Girl" column for the alt-weekly, talks about the book and what she's been up to since leaving the Observer. Besides writing, she says she's spent more time in ministry. "I go door to door in the streets of South Dallas with an evangelism team," she says. "We're out there to win souls for Jesus, plain and simple."
Dallas Observer | Beliefnet |
06-03-2009 9:09 am |
Industry News
Bay Area Alts Win Regional Awardsnew
Two alt-weeklies took home awards in the East Bay Press Club's 2008 Excellence in Print Journalism Contest. The East Bay Express won a total of five awards, with first-place finishes for Best Analysis, Best Opinion Piece and Lifestyle Feature. SF Weekly also took home one of the press club's awards, which were announced at a reception on Friday.
East Bay Express |
06-03-2009 8:47 am |
Honors & Achievements
L.A. Weekly Parts Ways with Editornew
The Weekly announced yesterday that it is actively seeking a replacement for Laurie Ochoa, who has been the paper's editor in chief since 2001.
L.A. Weekly |
06-02-2009 8:35 am |
Industry News
Nine Seats Up for Election on the AAN Board
Nine seats on the AAN Board of Directors will be up for election this year at the association's annual meeting in Tucson. Prior to the election, bylaw amendments will be introduced that could impact the nature of at least two of the seats.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
06-01-2009 5:14 pm |
Association News
Tags: Editorial, Management
AAN Members Pick Up Dozens of SPJ Awards in Pacific Northwestnew
Five alt-weeklies won a number of awards in the Oregon and Southwest Washington chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists' 2008 Excellence in Journalism Awards. Among non-daily newspapers in Oregon, Willamette Week took home 10 first-place awards, while Eugene Weekly took home one. Among alt-weeklies in the Northwest region, WW won six first-place awards; Seattle Weekly won four; the Missoula Independent won two; and the Pacific Northwest Inlander won one.
Society of Professional Journalists, Oregon and Southwest Washington Chapter |
06-01-2009 8:27 am |
Honors & Achievements
Diversity Grants Fund Innovative Projects at Two Alt-Weeklies
Boise Weekly and Omaha's The Reader each recently received $1,250 from
AAN to pursue ambitious diversity-related projects as part of AAN's
Diversity Grant program. Last fall, the Diversity Committee expanded the
scope of the program to include diversity-related projects; the grants
to Boise Weekly and The Reader mark the first to be awarded to
projects rather than interns.
(FULL STORY)
AAN News |
05-28-2009 12:17 pm |
Association News
