AAN News

Advocate Freelancer Weighs in on Tribune Bankruptcy Filingnew

"What does this mean for the Advocates? Who the fuck knows? We're so low in the Tribune food chain that we're not even mentioned in the annual reports," writes Christopher Arnott, who spent 17 years as an Advocate staffer before going full-time freelance. "The Advocate's sucked it up before and [stayed] alive in hard times. Let's hope the corporation gives it the chance to do it again."
New Haven Advocate  |  12-09-2008  9:12 am  |  Industry News

Boise Weekly Publisher Calls for Temporary Salary Cutsnew

At the paper's regular Friday meeting, Sally Freeman asked the staff to take a 10 percent cut in pay through the end of March to help ward off damage done by weak ad sales. "After the quick announcement, Freeman cried a little and then offered to meet with each of her workers individually," Weekly editor Nathaniel Hoffman reports. Freeman tells Hoffman that the paper's annual revenue is down 4 percent compared to 2007, and it came in $90,000 below budget in the last six to seven weeks.
Boise Weekly  |  12-08-2008  4:04 pm  |  Industry News

Atlanta Weekly Looks to Expand to Charlotte and Tampa by May 2009new

The Sunday Paper publisher Patrick Best announced his plans on Friday, citing the troubles of Creative Loafing -- which owns papers in Atlanta, Charlotte and Tampa -- as a major reason. "While we planned to go to both of these markets in the next few years, the troubles of the parent company of the major newsweeklies in both cities have convinced us to accelerate our plans," he says. Best, who was Creative Loafing (Atlanta)'s advertising director before launching The Sunday Paper, recently offered CL CEO Ben Eason $1 million for the Loaf's Atlanta publication. Best's expansion plans are being helped by funding from Brian Conley, the former owner of Knoxville, Tenn., AAN member Metro Pulse and current shareholder of Sunday Paper Publishing. Meanwhile, Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy reports that Eason's main creditor filed a motion (PDF) on Friday claiming CL has not been forthcoming in explaining budgets and cash flow forecasts. The CL bankruptcy protection case is scheduled to go before a judge on Wednesday.
The Sunday Paper | Atlanta Magazine  |  12-08-2008  8:09 am  |  Industry News

iPhone Grows Rapidly as Internet & Entertainment Devicenew

The Center for Media Research  |  12-08-2008  9:21 am  |  Industry News

Boston Transit Agency is Requiring Clear News Boxesnew

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is requiring that all news boxes on its property be easy to check visually for security concerns. Boston Phoenix circulation director Jim Dorgan tells AAN News that the policy goes into effect next Friday, Dec. 12. He says that, as a result of the new regulations, the Phoenix and its related publications had to purchase more than 200 new boxes, which each cost $85 more than a regular news box. He also says the MBTA is requiring the boxes be chained, and that 12 inches of space separate each box. The Weekly Dig's Jeff Lawrence tells us that while his paper will eventually buy some clear boxes and put them in MBTA stations, for the most part, distributing outside on city streets is still cheaper and the best strategy for the Dig.
Harrumph! Blog  |  12-05-2008  12:29 pm  |  Industry News

2009 Membership Applications Now Available

The application deadline for newspapers to apply for AAN membership is Dec. 31, 2008. You can download an application here, or contact AAN to have one mailed to you. After a rigorous vetting process, the Membership Committee will issue its recommendations prior to June's convention in Tucson, where all members will have the chance to vote on the applicants. You can find links to the Membership Committee's admission guidelines and the AAN bylaws on the Membership page of our site. If you have any additional questions about membership, please call 202-289-8484 or email Debra Silvestrin at debra (at) aan.org.
AAN  |  12-04-2008  11:00 am  |  Association News

East Bay Express Releases Promo Video for 'Shop Local' Campaign

To help promote the Shop Local campaign that publisher Jody Colley is spearheading, the Express has made a public service announcement video featuring a number of local merchants. Editor & Publisher's Mark Fitzgerald notes that "there's an appropriately indie-folk soundtrack, though I'll confess I'm not hip enough to identify the uncredited singer."

AAN News  |  12-03-2008  11:24 am  |  Industry News  |  Comments (2)

Political Ad Spend Strong in '08; Expected to Continue in '09new

TNS Media Intelligence says almost $2.7 billion was spent on political advertising this election season, up from $1.7 billion in 2004, according to Broadcasting & Cable. TNS predicts that political ad spending will remain robust in 2009, as a result of gubernatorial elections and advocacy groups that run issue-specific ads.
Broadcasting & Cable  |  12-03-2008  9:45 am  |  Industry News

Phoenix Media Buys Spanish-Language Weeklynew

The Boston-based alt-weekly publisher has purchased El Planeta, saying it hopes to attract a larger Hispanic audience in the Boston area, the Boston Globe reports. Phoenix Media had been investing in the weekly since 2005, and already prints and distributes the paper. "I personally strongly see the value in the Hispanic newspaper market and the opportunity for that to grow," says Phoenix Media president Bradley Mindich. "It was one of these opportunities we couldn't pass up." The company, which owns AAN members in Boston, Portland, and Providence, will share some content with El Planeta, and the Spanish-language paper's staff will move into Phoenix Media's Boston headquarters. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More from Boston Business Journal.
The Boston Globe  |  12-02-2008  8:05 am  |  Industry News

Former Creative Loafing Ad Director Offers $1 Million for Atlanta Papernew

Patrick Best, who spent four years as CL's advertising director before starting rival publication The Sunday Paper, told Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy last week he's willing to pay Ben Eason $1 million for Creative Loafing (Atlanta). Fennessy notes that it is unclear whether the purchase would even be possible, given CL's Chapter 11 status, but Best says "it's not unusual for businesses that are in bankruptcy to sell off pieces of their company in order to raise capital." MORE on Creative Loafing: Former senior editor (and current shareholder) John Sugg writes about CL's "death spiral," and Creative Loafing's Mara Shalhoup responds. And departing senior writer Andisheh Nouraee discusses why he is leaving with Atlanta Progressive News.
Atlanta Magazine  |  12-01-2008  1:41 pm  |  Industry News

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