AltWeeklies Wire
D.C.'s College Newspapers Are Thriving -- and Not Just Because of Sudokunew
Real newspapers are losing readers by the minute, especially those labeled "college-aged." Yet amid the industry death march its farm system thrives. According to a 2006 report in the Wall Street Journal, readership and revenue of college papers has generally held steady or grown in recent years.
Washington City Paper |
Alec Mouhibian |
08-21-2008 |
Media
What Killed Tampa Bay's Zine Scene?new
You remember zines, right? Those self-published, cut-and-paste, photocopied booklets that resembled collated ransom notes? During the '90s and early '00s, you could find them in nearly every Tampa Bay coffeeshop, record store and music venue bathroom. But today you can find nary a one. What happened?
Creative Loafing (Tampa) |
Alex Pickett |
08-14-2008 |
Media
Why is Sam Zell the New Whipping Boy for Anti-Corporate Media Crusaders?new
I admire a gallant crusade as much as the next guy, but StopBigMedia.com has the ring of an army raised to fight the last war. Why should anyone in Chicago take up arms against big media when big media's already falling apart on its own?
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
08-11-2008 |
Media
Paxton Media Group is Running Durham's Daily Paper into the Groundnew
Layoffs and other staff changes that began last Tuesday may be responses to tough economic times, while newsroom reassignments will slightly increase the number of reporters. But none of those changes addresses the drastic decline in circulation and reporting resources -- not to mention quality -- that has marked Paxton's ownership of the paper.
Why is the Press Playing Along with GOP Smears of Obama?new
The GOP is smearing Barack Obama as a narcissist, hitting him repeatedly with the charge that he has a vanity problem. So why is the press playing along?
Boston Phoenix |
Adam Reilly |
07-31-2008 |
Media
Things I've Learned: Journalism Will Survive the Passing of Some Newspapersnew
What I believed as a kid, when I was noodling around on the dial of an old radio, is still true today: People are intensely interested in what's happening at home, but they're hungry to know about the bigger world around them. Journalism that feeds that need will never die.
Illinois Times |
Roland Klose |
07-31-2008 |
Media
Where Has All the Gonzo Gone?new
In the first presidential election since the death of Hunter S. Thompson, we finally realize what we've lost.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
07-31-2008 |
Media
Obama's Appearance at UNITY Highlights What's Wrong with the Medianew
Most shocking was UNITY's eager complicity in allowing CNN and Time -- both owned by Time Warner -- to force the 10,000-member journalist alliance to bend to their will. Unfortunately, suppression of a free and unfettered press didn't stop with powering off the recorders in the McCormick Place ballroom.
Illinois Times |
R.L. Nave |
07-31-2008 |
Media
Experts Ponder the Future of Small-Town Daily Papersnew
It's not breaking news, but daily rags are taking a beating. If the information age isn't kind to "offline" products of the fourth estate in urban areas, what's happening with newsprint in other markets? With subscriptions and profit margins dwindling, what will be tomorrow's news for smaller-market dailies?
Oklahoma Gazette |
Rob Collins |
07-30-2008 |
Media
Last Chance for Daily Papers: Close Their Websites
Daily newspapers have embraced the "information wants to be free" ethos of the internet, and it has led them to the brink of ruin. The answer? Make the news they give away now expensive and scarce.
A Not-Independent Analyst Might Have Skewed Media Coverage of Sprintnew
In June, when Sprint introduced the Instinct, its rival to the iPhone, industry analyst Jeff Kagan gave the launch a good review. The glowing review shouldn't have been much of a surprise -- that's what Sprint has paid him to do.
David Carr: From Crackhead to Potato Headnew
We investigate the New York Times reporter's odd, ongoing obsession with the spud.
New York Press |
David Blum |
07-24-2008 |
Media
Nipple? We Don't See No Stinkin' Nipplenew
The most shocking thing about the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl was its brevity. And yet somehow in that split second, an America that was still reeling from the realization that it was not invincible, that it too could be attacked, found a way to fight back. At what exactly we were never quite sure. But, boy oh boy, did it ever cause a bustle in our collective hedgerow.
Charleston City Paper |
Chris Haire |
07-23-2008 |
Media
What Publishers Don't Want You to Know About Door-to-Door Magazine Salesnew
That kid at your door with a magazine order form will tell you a story -- part sad, part hopeful. The truth will be infinitely worse than you can imagine.
Houston Press |
Craig Malisow |
07-22-2008 |
Media
How a High-gloss Mag About Mixtapes is Actually Making Itnew
Foundation was started by three street-smart guys with no publishing experience, no money and no distribution.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Kate Kilpatrick |
07-21-2008 |
Media
