AAN News
Dan Savage Talks 'Savage Love' and the Role of Alt-Weekliesnew
In the recurring "So What Do You Do?" column on MediaBistro, the editorial director of The Stranger and syndicated sex advice columnist discusses how he got started with "Savage Love," how sex-column writing has changed in the last 15 years, and why he loves his job. "I get emails from people all day long describing their sex lives and sex problems," he says. Savage also talks about the role of the alt-weekly in a deteriorating mainstream media landscape. "I think alt-weeklies have more and more of a role to play -- particularly as dailies continue to try and swim around with an anvil under each arm," he says. "One anvil is objectivity and the other is 'family newspaper.' Alt-weeklies have the luxury of publishing writing by adults, to adults, and for adults. And that's a real advantage. It's a style advantage, it's an attitudinal advantage, and it's also an urban advantage."
MediaBistro |
11-12-2008 12:52 pm |
Industry News
Willamette Week Tightens Belt, but Santa Fe Reporter is 'Doing Well'new
In his yearly report to readers, Willamette Week publisher Richard Meeker says the Portland, Ore., newsweekly's financial situation has been "lousy." Advertising is down since July and the paper is more than ten percent below budget for the year. But the news isn't all bad. Meeker says WW's "total audience has remained steady" and its sister paper, the Santa Fe Reporter, is having a good year. Nevertheless, WW has laid off several staffers and transferred one staff writer to Santa Fe. Editor Mark Zusman tells AAN News that the paper laid off three classified sales representatives, one designer, and staff writer (and "Queer Window" columnist) Byron Beck, while Corey Pein moves to the Reporter. Although the paper will "be lucky to eke out a small profit this year," Meeker says he and Zusman are "eager to tackle the challenges we all now face, and more committed than ever to continuing -- and improving -- the quality of reporting and thinking we do." More on Beck's departure from the Portland Mercury and Just Out magazine.
Willamette Week |
11-12-2008 8:33 am |
Industry News
Tech Startup Scans Web Video for Blank Spaces to Insert Adsnew
Online Media Daily |
11-10-2008 11:09 am |
Industry News
Gannett Folds Nashville Faux-Alt into Metromix Brandnew
Nashville Scene |
11-10-2008 9:22 am |
Industry News
Alt-Weeklies Seek to Help the Economy by Promoting Local Shopping
The readers of more than 70 alternative newspapers are being urged to spend at least $100 of their holiday money this fall at locally owned stores in their communities -- a move that could pump more than $2.9 billion into urban economies during this recession-plagued season. The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, the American Independent Business Alliance, and East Bay Express publisher Jody Colley helped develop the unprecedented project, and AAN helped line up 73 North American papers to participate. "If every one of the 17.5 million readers of these weeklies were to spend just $100 with local, independently owned merchants, the impact would be enormous," Colley says.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
11-07-2008 10:58 am |
Association News
Fairfield County Weekly Combines Offices with New Haven Advocatenew
To save costs in an ever-tightening economy, two of the three New Mass. Media papers will now share office space in New Haven. Staff members have been given laptops and cellphones and will seemingly be traveling in the Fairfield County area -- about 20 miles from New Haven -- quite a bit.
Fairfield County Weekly |
11-05-2008 11:56 am |
Industry News
The Stranger's Election Night Party Spills Out into the Streetsnew
Thousands of people took to the downtown Seattle streets last night to celebrate Barack Obama's election in what the Seattle Post-Intelligencer describes as "exuberant mayhem." Police told the P-I that the crowd fueled by people leaving The Stranger's election party was peaceful, and as of midnight no injuries or vandalism had been reported. On the Slog, the Stranger sums it up: "Hundreds of people have been marching up and down 1st and Pike since our election night party got out a few hours ago. It's the most beautiful mob scene we've ever seen."
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer | The Stranger |
11-05-2008 9:19 am |
Industry News
Philadelphia City Paper Hosts Election Day Live Photoblog
In an real-time experiment with user-generated content, today City Paper is hosting a reader-submitted photostream on its website to capture all the local Election Day action. "Trouble at the polls? Take a pic. Long lines at your polling place? Take a pic. Thugs trying to intimidate voters? Take a pic," says editor-in-chief Brian Howard. "Get snapping. Then get submitting. You're all poll watchers tomorrow." The photos will be on display at City Paper's homepage and at citypaper.net/electionphotos. Readers can upload photos via the paper's Flickr stream at www.flickr.com/groups/cp_election.
(FULL STORY)
Philadelphia City Paper Press Release |
11-04-2008 9:11 am |
Press Releases
Biz Paper Weighs in on the Providence Phoenix's 'Journalistic Niche'new
As the Phoenix celebrates its 30th anniversary, Providence Business News looks at how the alt-weekly is flourishing "at a time when daily newspapers in Rhode Island and elsewhere are struggling." One University of Rhode Island professor says the paper provides a function "critical to political life in this state," and Phoenix associate publisher Steve Brown says the paper has succeeded by "knowing [its] audience and sticking with them." Ty Davis, who launched the paper (as The New Paper) in 1978, says he's not sorry that he sold his paper to the Boston Phoenix in 1988. "My objective was to give Rhode Island a solid alternative weekly," he says. "I succeeded and, from that standpoint, I have no regrets."
Providence Business News |
11-04-2008 8:51 am |
Industry News
The Stranger Parody Lights Up the Right-Wing Blogospherenew
On Thursday, the Seattle alt-weekly published a piece on its website parodying the annual "houses with the best Halloween/Christmas decorations" article so often employed by daily and community papers. But the story, "Hell Houses," featured homes displaying McCain/Palin yard signs instead of decorations, and it included the addresses. Two days later, it "exploded on right-wing blogs." The paper reports that the piece "received over 1,300 comments, including dozens and dozens of death threats against our staff, many directing readers to incorrect addresses." That caused The Stranger to pull the story, but today it has republished it, with the addresses redacted. More from KOMO-TV.
The Stranger |
11-03-2008 3:16 pm |
Industry News
IAB Aims To Streamline Online Media Buying, Ad Servingnew
Online Media Daily |
10-31-2008 9:08 am |
Industry News
East Bay Express Crowns Winner of Sarah Palin Songwriting Competitionnew
"The Sarah Palin song competition that we launched four weeks ago drew in seventeen submissions," the Express writes. The paper's music critics graded them for concept, lyrics, humor, style, musical depth, and aesthetic quality, on a scale of 0-5 bloody moose heads. The winner was "Sarah Palin vs. the Flobots" by M. Spaff Sumison (watch it below). The Express runs down the rest of the best -- and, well, the worst -- in this week's paper.
East Bay Express |
10-30-2008 9:50 am |
Industry News
Mobile Marketing Association Releases Updated Ad Guidelinesnew
Online Media Daily |
10-30-2008 9:02 am |
Industry News
2009 AAN Convention Comes to a Desert Destination Resort in Tucson
Next June, AAN members will descend on the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson for the association's 32nd Annual Convention, hosted by Tucson Weekly. "This is one of the nicest places AAN has ever used for a convention," says San Francisco Bay Guardian executive editor Tim Redmond, who visited the property along with other AAN board members for a meeting last month. Read here for more about the convention and the lush Starr Pass resort.
(FULL STORY)
AAN News |
10-29-2008 1:29 pm |
Association News
Study: Consumers Embrace Social Media Adsnew
Online Media Daily |
10-29-2008 9:29 am |
Industry News
