AAN News
Bay Guardian Editor: The SF Weekly Suit 'Wasn't Personal'new
San Francisco Bay Guardian executive editor Tim Redmond writes that while he thought Eli Sanders' recent story on the feud between the Guardian and SF Weekly in The Stranger was mostly right, he faults Sanders (and others) for casting the legal battle as a clash of egos. "The thing is, Bruce [Brugmann] and Mike [Lacey] haven't hated each other for decades," Redmond writes. "They weren't terribly close, but they got along fine -- and sometimes, they were political allies." He points to their unlikely alliance at the 1997 AAN Convention (three years after New Times purchased SF Weekly) to push a bylaws measure (and digs up a photo of the two arm-in-arm) as proof. "They were almost, sorta, kinda pals," he writes. "At least for a few minutes."
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
03-30-2010 10:27 am |
Industry News
Four AAN Members Take Home 23 New York Press Association Awardsnew
The New York Press Association announced the winners of its annual Best Newspaper Contest this past weekend, and four alt-weeklies were in the mix. The Long Island Press took home nine awards, including first-place wins for Coverage of Elections/Politics; News Story; and Sports Feature. The New York Press won five total awards, including firsts for Coverage of Business, Financial & Economic News; Coverage of Crime/Police/Courts; Feature Story; and Best Use of Color. Syracuse New Times won five awards as well, including a first-place finish in the Editorial Cartoon category. Ithaca Times took home four awards, including a first-place nod for Best Column.
New York Press Association |
03-30-2010 9:59 am |
Honors & Achievements
After Pitch Story on Alleged Assault, Missouri Pol Won't Run Againnew
Missouri state Rep. Roman LeBlanc announced on Friday that he won't be seeking reelection after a story in The Pitch detailed his sexual involvement with an 18-year-old college student who he had mentored since she was 15. The student accused LeBlanc of sexually assaulting her, but prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence to file charges against LeBlanc, who has maintained his innocence.
The Pitch |
03-29-2010 12:37 pm |
Industry News
Apple Will Unveil New Mobile Ad Platformnew
Online Media Daily reports that Apple is preparing to announce its "next big thing" -- a new personalized, mobile advertising system that could well be called the "iAd." The new platform will reportedly be unveiled on April 7; sources say it has been described as "revolutionary" and "our next big thing" by Apple's Steve Jobs.
Online Media Daily |
03-29-2010 12:30 pm |
Industry News
Michael Musto: 'In a Way I Was the Original Blogger'new
"Now everyone in the world is a blogger, which means everyone on earth is a gossip columnist," the longtime Village Voice gossip columnist tells The Awl. "I used to compete with maybe five people, now you're competing with like five billion people." He says the increased competition is "kind of fabulous ... It certainly makes me scramble harder to stay relevant, but it also means everyone in the world has a voice."
The Awl |
03-29-2010 12:28 pm |
Industry News
AAN's Editor Stepping Down
Editor Jon Whiten is leaving the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies; he will be replaced by current Editorial Awards and Advertising Director Jason Zaragoza. Whiten, who joined AAN in January 2006, is stepping down to focus on the local news website and arts & culture magazine he owns and operates in Jersey City, N.J. His last day on staff is March 31, but he will continue as a part-time contractor, overseeing AAN.org, for a month or two, as Zaragoza transitions from his current position into the editor role.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
03-26-2010 11:25 am |
Association News
Pittsburgh City Paper Cover Artists Get Museum Exhibitnew
"Cartoons Covered: The Art of the City Paper," which opened last Friday at the Toonseum, features 25 cover illustrations from the past decade, from 16 cartoonists and illustrators, curated by City Paper art director Lisa Cunningham and the Toonseum's Joe Wos. "This is a chance for people to get a second look at the rich and varied talent we've shamelessly exploited for years," City Paper editor Chris Potter says.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
03-26-2010 10:30 am |
Industry News
Columnist: Westword Editor 'is a Denver Fixture'new
Saying her presence in Denver is "as durable as the U.S. Mint," Denver Post columnist Bill Husted sits down for a few drinks with Patricia Calhoun for his "Bar & Grilled" column. Their wide-ranging conversation touches on everything from why she drinks beer ("I read an article that said women in business should not drink beer because it wasn't professional. And I am enough of a contrarian that I decided to embrace beer with a vengeance.") to why she's stayed with Westword for 33 years ("I guess I haven't found anything more interesting than what I am doing now.") to how she would describe the alt-weekly ("We're bossy, and we're glossy.").
Denver Post |
03-26-2010 8:53 am |
Industry News
Seattle Weekly Columnist Lands a Book Dealnew
Seattle Weekly columnist and former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan says he has landed a book deal with Touchstone, a division of Simon and Schuster, who will publish the book in Fall 2011. "I want to thank the readers of my column for really pushing me to write this book," he writes. "The Weekly staff have also been invaluable to me -- certain editors here have made a big difference as far as what they expect from me. That too makes for a better product." He explains that the book won't be a "GN'R tell-all" or a typical rock 'n' roll book. "There are a lot of those at this point," McKagan writes. "Sure, I will touch on all of that, as it is part of my story, but only just a part of it."
Seattle Weekly |
03-26-2010 8:29 am |
Industry News
Was it Something They Said? Cablevision Pulls IFC Ad from Voicenew
The IFC-owned Independent Film Center, which is owned by Cablevision and Jimmy Dolan, has pulled its $400/week print advertisement from the Village Voice, "following our trenchant commentary on the sale of Gothamist to Rainbow Media, replete with a joke about Mr. Dolan's penis that required the attention of his corporate publicity and legal affairs crews," writes the Voice's Foster Kamer. "In a rare breach of editorial and sales, I'd like to openly apologize to the ad salesperson who closed that account: I'm sorry Jimmy Dolan's penis cost you some commission," Kamer continues. "If you'd like me to write your child's college admission's essay, I'll do it pro-bono. I'd just give you the money, but I've spent the last four days considering Jimmy Dolan's penis. The pay is proportionate."
The Village Voice |
03-26-2010 8:09 am |
Industry News
Judge Grants Injunction Sought by Santa Barbara Independent Editornew
Judge Denise deBellefeuille has granted an injunction sought by Independent co-owner and editor-in-chief Marianne Partridge in her contract dispute over the paper's sale with publisher and majority owner Randy Campbell. The injunction effectively bars Campbell from selling or distributing his shares of the Independent until the conflict with Partridge over the sale of his shares is finally resolved, the paper reports.
Santa Barbara Independent |
03-25-2010 12:11 pm |
Industry News
Lingerie Footballers Get Probation for Wearing Too Much in New Timesnew
Miami Caliente players Anonka Dixon and Tina Caccavale have been placed on probation by the Lingerie Football League for wearing too many clothes during a photo shoot for Miami New Times and New Times Broward-Palm Beach. A league spokesperson tells NBC Miami that the problem stems from the players wearing non-sponsored league gear. "One of the covers has an NFL logo and they had on Rawlings shoulder pads and Nike wristbands," Stephon McMillen says. "They were displaying non-league partners. It's a legal issue for us." Turns out the league didn't like the New Times story that much either; the writer, Michael J. Mooney, has been banned from being credentialed to cover any Lingerie Football League or Miami Caliente events.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
03-25-2010 11:48 am |
Industry News
Kathleen Turner Plays Molly Ivins in New Playnew
"Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins" had its world premiere Wednesday night at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. The play, which stars Turner as Ivins, offers a "complex, nuanced sense" of the former Texas Observer editor "in all her loud messiness," according to Politics Daily. Half the words in the play are from Ivins, and the other half were written by Margaret and Allison Engel. "The day after Molly died I was so upset that her voice was gone that I called Allison and said we have to do a show about her," Margaret says. "I felt she was our Mark Twain, our Will Rogers, and by 'ours' I meant the country's."
Politics Daily |
03-25-2010 11:37 am |
Industry News
Tags: Management, The Texas Observer
Diversity Grant Applications Now Available
The AAN Diversity Grant Program, which
was instituted in 2001 to help papers add diversity to their newsrooms and
to encourage minority journalists to start their careers at alt-weeklies, is accepting new applications. The program offers AAN papers the opportunity to apply for a grant for a
diversity-related project or for an intern. The Diversity Committee will
award up to four grants of $1,250 each per year; the deadline for applications is April 23. Recent awardee Boise Weekly tells AAN News that the "global culture blog" for the local refugee community it launched with the grant money "would have never happened" without the Diversity Grant. Now that the blog has become a success, the Weekly will keep it going with its own funding. (For all the details, download an application here.)
(FULL STORY)
AAN News |
03-24-2010 6:15 pm |
Association News
Alt-Cartoonist Mikhaela Reid Ending Her Stripnew
Reid, whose "Boiling Point" has appeared in a number of AAN papers, says she is "retiring from regular weekly political cartooning." Why? She singles out the tough market for political cartoons, the relentless deadlines and her impending motherhood as a few of the reasons. "With the peanuts I was earning for political cartooning, I was theoretically doing it for fun -- but I wasn't really having fun anymore," she writes. In addition to being a full-time working mother, Reid says she will be blogging about sewing and style on her Polka Dot Overload site.
Mikhaela.net |
03-24-2010 5:44 pm |
Industry News
