SqueezeOC, the weekly launched two years ago by Orange County Register parent company Freedom Communications, will go online-only Aug. 31, the Register reports. Twenty percent of the paper's employees were laid off and an unspecified number of others were reassigned. "Management is spinning fast about the publication's troubles," OC Weekly's Janine Kahn writes. "The spinners didn't admit it, but it's clear that the publication -- billed ridiculously as "alternative" -- is hemorrhaging dough. Instead, they're putting the word out that going digital is the way to reach their target audience. Puh-lease."

Continue ReadingOrange County Faux-Alt Kills Print Edition

Manhattan Media has named Blum editor-in-chief of New York Press as well as editorial director of the company's community newspaper group, the New York Times reports. When he starts the job Sept. 5, Blum's first task "will be to compete more vigorously with The Voice," where he served as editor for six months ending this March. "I want to make The Press as fresh and unpredictable as possible," he says. "I tried to do that at The Village Voice, but I didn't have enough time at The Voice to achieve the goals that I had at the paper. But here I will." In his interview with the Times, Blum also takes the opportunity to take a shot at his new competition and former employer for its out-of-town ownership. "I am excited to be working with a publisher and an owner who lives in New York, who knows the city extremely well," he says. "I think that will be a big plus for The Press -- and for me."

Continue ReadingNew York Press Hires Former Village Voice Editor David Blum