Four Papers Published by Current AAN Members Among the Applicants.

In a reflection of the strength and vitality of the alternative newspaper business, a record number of papers are seeking membership in AAN this year. From Buffalo, New York to Sydney, Australia, a total of 23 weeklies have submitted applications to be reviewed by the admissions committee. That is a significant increase from last year’s applicant pool of 16 papers. The sharp increase was registered even though AAN raised the application fee this year from $50 to $150.

This month and next, members of the admissions committee will score the contenders and record the results on a admissions worksheet developed by committee chairperson Clif Garboden, executive editor of the Phoenix Newspaper Group. The worksheet standardizes the evaluation process by providing a list of criteria to measure each applicant. The 11-person committee will complete its work on Wednesday, May 26, during a meeting at the 22nd annual AAN convention in Memphis. Its recommendations will be published the next day in the first issue of this year’s AAN News convention daily. The applicants’ fate will be decided when AAN members cast their votes on Saturday, May 29, the final day of the convention.

The papers vying for membership are a diverse lot. There are newcomers like Carbondale Nightlife from Carbondale, IL, Metro Milwaukee Weekly, Cleveland’s Downtown Tab and the Ventura County Reporter. There are also several applicants with familiar ties: Park City, Utah’s Mountain Times, which is published by Salt Lake City Weekly ; NOW’s start-up in Ottawa, Capital City; and a pair of New Times, Inc. papers, Cleveland Scene and New Times Broward/Palm Beach. And there are several repeat applicants: ArtVoice, Buffalo Beat, C-Ville Weekly, The Octopus, and Sydney City Hub.

Here is a complete list of this year’s applying papers:

–ArtVoice-Buffalo, NY
–Black & White-Birmingham, AL
–Buffalo Beat -Buffalo, NY
–Capital City-Ottawa, ON, Canada
–Carbondale Nightlife -Carbondale, IL
–Charleston City Paper-Charleston, SC
–Cleveland Scene -Cleveland, OH
–Crosswinds Weekly-Albuquerque, NM
–C-Ville Weekly -Charlottesville, VA
–Dateline Memphis -Memphis, TN
–Downtown Tab-Cleveland, OH
–Every Other Weekly -Bellingham, WA
–Metro Milwaukee Weekly-Milwaukee, WI
–Mountain Times -Park City, UT
–New Times Broward/Palm Beach -Ft. Lauderdale, FL
–North Coast Journal -Arcata, CA
–The Octopus -Champaign/Urbana, IL
–The Other Paper-Columbus, OH
–Pique Newsmagazine -Whistler, BC, Canada
–The Source -Bend, OR
–Sydney City Hub-Sydney, NSW, Australia
–Urban Tulsa Weekly -Tulsa, OK
–Ventura County Reporter-Ventura, CA