AAN News
Washington City Paper's 'Key Players' Talk About the Past & the Futurenew
In a lengthy Post Magazine feature, City Paper alums like Russ Smith, Jack Shafer and David Carr join current leaders Erik Wemple and Ben Eason in discussing the paper's history, its legacy and its future. Even former mayor Marion Barry, who recently appeared on a City Paper cover that incited some controversy, weighs in on the alt-weekly.
The Washington Post |
08-10-2009 11:12 am |
Industry News
Some D.C. Residents Cry Foul Over Washington City Paper's Covernew
The cover of this week's paper -- with the provocative headline, "You put me out in Denver 'cause I wouldn't suck your dick" -- has some district residents upset, the Washington Post reports. City Paper says the city's Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has received several calls complaining about the cover, which features a photo of councilman and former mayor Marion Barry with his arm around an ex-girlfriend who has accused him of stalking her. (The quote was taken from a recording of a confrontation between Barry and the ex-girlfriend.) "Some people are going to find that vulgar -- that's inevitable," editor Erik Wemple says. "If they find it vulgar, they can complain. It's worth putting it out there, and it's the truth. Sometimes the truth is vulgar." Publisher Amy Austin tells the Post that the negative reaction has been "much less than I expected," and that only three distribution spots have called to say they wouldn't display the paper while one has called to ask for more copies.
Washington Post | Washington City Paper |
07-10-2009 10:08 am |
Industry News
Washington City Paper: 'Marion Barry Killed Our Web Server'new
Yesterday City Paper posted a series of voicemails in which notorious former mayor and current councilman Marion Barry "alternately cajoles and spurns" (as the Washington Post put it) an ex-girlfriend who is charging Barry with stalking her. The clips and the accompanying cover story -- which feature classic one-liners like "You put me out in Denver 'cause I wouldn't suck your dick" -- quickly went viral, causing some issues for City Paper's server. "Marion Barry killed our web server," the paper tweeted yesterday afternoon. "[W]e're working on bringing it back to life."
DCist | Washington City Paper |
07-09-2009 9:35 am |
Industry News
Huffington: 'We Never Had an Issue' With City Paper Parodynew
Responding to yesterday's blog post by Washington City Paper editor Erik Wemple, Arianna Huffington tells the New York Times' David Carr that someone at HuffPo did contact City Paper to ask that the new blog posts on their HuffPo April Fool's parody be taken down, but that they "never complained" about the page linking back to HuffPo. "Bottom line: We didn't -- and don't -- have a problem with someone having fun at our expense," she says. "Indeed, we loved it and complimented it."
The New York Times |
06-12-2009 9:54 am |
Industry News
Huffington Post to Washington City Paper: Take Down Parody Pagenew
Faithful AAN.org readers may recall that on April Fool's Day, City Paper reworked its website to ape HuffPo's look. The parody -- The Huffington City Paper -- even received kudos from HuffPo itself. Now -- a day after the publication of a well-read City Paper column criticizing HuffPo -- the aggregator is asking the alt-weekly to remove the lightly trafficked page from its archives, in part because it contains a link to HuffPo. "Never thought I'd be scolded by a Huffington Post official for linking," writes editor Erik Wemple. "But I was!"
Washington City Paper |
06-11-2009 2:27 pm |
Industry News
Is Craigslist's New Adult Ad Policy Helping Alt-Weeklies?new
Washington City Paper classified manager Heather McAndrews says that in the first week of May, adult ads were up 38 percent over the same time last year; City Pages publisher Mark Bartel says adult ads there have "almost doubled;" and SF Weekly's adult ad count has jumped from 160 before Craigslist's new policy went into effect to 910 last week. One woman who advertises in both City Paper and Craigslist tells the alt-weekly that Craigslist's "standard is no good because you cannot really describe who you are."
Washington City Paper |
06-02-2009 3:25 pm |
Industry News
Two Alt-Weekly Writers Receive NEA Fellowshipsnew
Two freelancers "affiliated" with AAN members are among the 23 journalists selected to participate in the fifth National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater at the USC Annenberg School for Communication. LEO Weekly's Rebecca Haithcoat and Washington City Paper's Glen Weldon will participate in the 10-day program this August.
USC Annenberg School for Communication |
03-04-2009 8:24 am |
Honors & Achievements
Former Washington City Paper Music Critic Diesnew
Rickey Wright passed away on Feb. 19 in Seattle after suffering from a series of small strokes. "He was a save-your-ass kind of writer," recalls former City Paper arts editor Glenn Dixon. "If someone didn't come through, and there were constantly people who didn't come through, Rickey would do the job. He'd write it well. He'd get it in on time -- always. He was never without ideas and he could cover any kind of music. I can't tell you how rare that is."
Washington City Paper |
02-24-2009 9:34 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
Creative Loafing Bankruptcy Hearing Delayednew
The hearing scheduled yesterday was set to decide whether CL's creditors can declare their loans in default and take immediate possession of the company from CEO Ben Eason. According to Wayne Garcia, the hearing has been continued until March 11. Garcia says both sides in the case complained about the delay but worked together to develop a new timeline.
Creative Loafing (Tampa) |
01-22-2009 8:41 am |
Industry News
Washington City Paper Capitalizes on Inauguration Fever
Washington's only alt-weekly is putting on a full-court press as the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama draws closer. The City Paper released a 120-page special inauguration issue this week that also featured "The Obama Reader," a 16-page insert from sister paper the Chicago Reader, which has been covering Obama since 1995. (The insert was also published in the Windy City.) Publisher Amy Austin says City Paper will be doing extensive online reporting over the next several days on its inauguration aggregation page. AAN members who want a web icon to link to the ongoing inaugural coverage should email Austin at aaustin (at) washingtoncitypaper.com.
(FULL STORY)
AAN News |
01-16-2009 12:08 pm |
Industry News
Video: More from Washington City Paper's Office Consolidationnew
Washington City Paper |
11-18-2008 12:45 pm |
Industry News
Two New Motions Filed in Creative Loafing Bankruptcy Casenew
Last week, Creative Loafing asked a bankruptcy judge to authorize CEO Ben Eason to hire the investment banking firm that brokered the Reader/City Paper purchase to evaluate the company's business plan, seek new financing, and prepare the company to be sold if necessary, Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy reports. Meanwhile, Eason's largest creditor, Atalaya Capital Management, asked the judge to lift the automatic stay that prevented CL from defaulting on its loan, arguing that the value of the company is falling with each passing day due to the bankruptcy filing and to "downward trends in the advertising industry." Eason tells Fennessy he stands by his decision to expand. "I think it's one of the smartest things we've done," he says. "I'd rather be navigating [the economic downturn] with Washington City Paper and Chicago Reader and [syndicated column] Straight Dope than without them." MORE: The Reader's Michael Miner weighs in, and City Paper consolidates its office into one floor.
Atlanta Magazine |
11-17-2008 12:11 pm |
Industry News
Former AAN Employee Wields Political Power via a 'Gay Mafia'new
Adam Ebbin directed donations from "a clandestine group of wealthy, gay political donors" to defeat anti-gay politicians in Virginia in 2005, TIME reports in a story examining the group, known as "the Cabinet." AAN's former marketing director is the only openly gay member of Virginia's general assembly. Ebbin is also a former employee of the Washington City Paper, where he worked during the 90's with John Cloud, the author of TIME's story.
TIME Magazine |
11-06-2008 8:35 am |
Industry News
J-School Grads Still Want to Break into Alt-Weekly Worldnew
Reacting to former Chicago Reader staffer Edward McClelland's piece in Columbia Journalism Review arguing that alt-weeklies were no longer hip, Washington City Paper assistant managing editor Jule Banville shares an anectdote from a J-school job fair last year. "The kids lined up to talk to me. A staff writer from the Philadelphia City Paper also had trouble coming up for air," she says. "For these grads -- still -- alt-weeklies were where it was at ... they didn't want to have to slug it out at a podunk daily churning out cop briefs and obits. Yet, they were beaten down enough to know they're nowhere near ready for a magazine job."
Washington City Paper |
10-31-2008 9:24 am |
Industry News
