AAN News
Publisher Says 'The Alt-Weekly is the Newspaper of the Future'new
"Boulder Weekly and our brother and sister alt-weeklies," Stewart Sallo writes, "are the next generation in the evolution of the newspaper." He notes that for the Weekly, "the past two years have been a watershed period for our organization, with unprecedented growth in readership and revenue, despite the unfavorable economic conditions we have faced."
Boulder Weekly |
01-12-2009 10:00 am |
Industry News
Parties Settle Libel Lawsuit Over Yelp.com Reviewnew
A San Francisco chiropractor and his former patient, Christopher Norberg, have settled a libel lawsuit arising out of a bad review that Norberg posted on Yelp.com. Online Media Daily reports that this was likely the first case in which a Yelp.com user was sued for defamation for posting a bad review.
Online Media Daily |
01-12-2009 8:47 am |
Legal News
Phoenix Media Prez Talks About Purchasing a Spanish-Language Weeklynew
In an interview with New England Ethnic News, Brad Mindich explains why, when other media companies are slashing staff, he thought buying Boston's El Planeta newspaper was a good move. "This is a good niche product that expands what we do," he says, adding that the new acquisition will retain complete editorial control but will share content with the group's other titles when it makes sense. When asked why Phoenix Media chose El Planeta over other Spanish-language publications, Mindich says: "If you look at the other Hispanic newspapers published in this area, with all due respect, they are not very good." That comment has raised the ire of said publications.
New England Ethnic News |
01-09-2009 2:32 pm |
Industry News
More Papers Tighten Belts
Louisiana's Independent Weekly reports that in 2008 it had to lay off one employee and that it recently instituted "a single digit, company-wide salary cut." The Nashville Scene says it is eliminating its books section, as well as News of the Weird and the New York Times crossword. Boise Weekly's publisher says that even though the "last quarter of 2008 was very disappointing ... it might have been the best we will see for awhile." Meanwhile, the Chicago Reader says goodbye to two of its departing editorial staffers, and Nat Hentoff talks to the New York Times about his plans post-Voice.
AAN News |
01-09-2009 10:30 am |
Industry News
Federal Agencies Move to Restrict FOIA Accessnew
"Over the past few months, some federal agencies have issued rules that would eliminate public disclosure of information -- or, in some cases, make it more difficult for requesters to get information," ProPublica reports. Agencies that have passed rules include the Department of Energy, the Department of Education and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press executive director Lucy Daiglish tells ProPublica that reversing these and other rules in favor of secrecy implemented by the Bush administration will be a huge task for the Obama administration. "Saying in his inaugural speech that this will be the most open and transparent government in history will make it easier for agencies to come in and do it," she says. In other secrecy news, the House of Representatives passed legislation yesterday that would nullify Bush's 2001 executive order that limited access to records via the Presidential Records Act.
ProPublica |
01-08-2009 12:38 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Management
Retail the Next Bubble to Burst?new
San Francisco Chronicle |
01-08-2009 6:02 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Management, Retail Advertising
Two Alt-Weekly Vets Say Goodbye
In this week's Village Voice, the recently laid off Nat Hentoff bids farewell with a column that touches on his time at the paper and his journalistic influences. "I came here in 1958 because I wanted a place where I could writer freely on anything I cared about," he writes. "There was no pay at first, but the Voice turned out to be a hell of a resounding forum." On the other coast, LA Weekly veteran Marc Cooper, who was let go a few months ago, has posted what he's calling an "autopsy" of the Weekly on his website. Cooper, who first joined the paper in 1982, pulls no punches in his nearly-6,000-word piece, but the gist can be found in one of the closing paragraphs. "If there was ever a time for an aggressive, irreverent, credible metro weekly to take on the [Los Angeles Times], it's right now, right here," he writes. "That requires investment, not layoffs."
The Village Voice | MarcCooper.com |
01-07-2009 4:10 pm |
Industry News
Oregon Dems Now Team Up with The Portland Mercurynew
The Mercury is the new co-sponsor of an inauguration party with the Oregon Democratic Party, a few weeks after the Willamette Week backed out of the gig, citing journalistic ethics. "We're an alternative paper and we make a promise that we're going to be accurate and fair," Mercury editor Wm. Steven Humphrey tells the Oregonian. "So if the Republicans ever manage to elect an awesome president, we'll sponsor their party too." On the Mercury's blog, Humphrey puts it this way: "Anyone who thinks it's unethical can stay home."
The Oregonian | The Portland Mercury |
01-07-2009 1:26 pm |
Industry News
Longtime Seven Days Political Columnist Diesnew
Peter Freyne, who wrote the "Inside Track" column for the Burlington, Vt., alt-weekly from 1995 until March 2008, died early this morning after battling cancer, seizures and a strep infection that spread to his brain, according to Seven Days. He was 59 years old. "Vermont has lost its own version of the legendary Mike Royko," says U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy. "He knew the difference between healthy skepticism and hollow cynicism, and his reporting helped make Vermont better."
Seven Days |
01-07-2009 12:27 pm |
Industry News
Jackson Free Press Adds Editorial Staff and Increases News Coveragenew
While daily papers and alt-weeklies across the country are being forced to cut staff and salaries in this tough economy, the Jackson Free Press is bucking the trend by adding a full-time editorial position. Ward Schaefer, a former public-school teacher, joined the paper this week as a reporter on the news beat. The paper says it is also increasing the daily news coverage on its website.
Jackson Free Press |
01-07-2009 11:49 am |
Industry News
Former Baseball Player & Alt-Weekly Columnist Diesnew
Joe "Prince" Henry, who played in the Negro Leagues in the 1950s and wrote the "Ask a Negro Leaguer" column for the Riverfront Times from 2005-2007, died on Friday.
Riverfront Times |
01-07-2009 10:18 am |
Industry News
Seattle Gay Bars and The Stranger Receive Threatening Lettersnew
Eleven gay bars received letters yesterday from someone claiming to be in the possession of ricin, a deadly poison. "Your establishment has been targeted," the letter begins. "I have in my possession approximately 67 grams of ricin with which I will indiscriminately target at least five of your clients." The Stranger also received a letter, which was addressed to the attention of "Obituaries," according to editorial director Dan Savage. It said that the paper should "be prepared to announce the deaths of approximately 55 individuals all of whom were patrons of the following establishments on a Saturday in January," before listing a handful of gay bars.
The Stranger |
01-07-2009 9:10 am |
Industry News
Study: U.S. Mobile Broadband Users To Surpass 140 Million By 2013new
Online Media Daily |
01-07-2009 9:14 am |
Industry News
Tags: Electronic Publishing, Management
The New Yorker Botches the History of the Alternative Pressnew
In a passage in Louis Menand's piece on the Village Voice, the New Yorker critic claimed that "after 1970, the alternative press died out" after "mainstream publications moved into the field." Russ Smith corrects the record: "Menand is apparently unaware that radical 'underground' papers like The Los Angeles Free Press and Berkeley Barb begat a new kind of weekly, papers like The Chicago Reader, Phoenix New Times and L.A. Weekly, which, until recently, were staples in their respective cities and not only produced excellent journalism but made a lot of money as well," Smith writes on his new website, Splice Today. The "sloppy article ... certainly muddies the history of not only The Village Voice, but also the weeklies that it inspired."
Splice Today |
01-06-2009 12:20 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Management, The Village Voice
