Preliminary figures show that the decline from 1Q 2008 to 1Q 2009 amounts to a drop of $3.8 billion in total U.S. ad spending, according to Nielsen. Local newspaper advertising was off by 14.3 percent, while internet advertising was only down by 3.4 percent. The worst-faring sector was local newspapers' Sunday supplements, which was off by 37.7 percent.

Continue ReadingNielsen: U.S. Ad Spending Down 12 Percent in First Quarter

As part of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, a judge has approved selling the assets of American Community Newspapers -- including The Other Paper -- to its creditors, who formed the company American Community Newspapers II to pursue the purchase. The Dallas-based company, which bought The Other Paper in 2007, filed for bankruptcy in April.

Continue ReadingThe Other Paper Sold to Parent Company’s Creditors

Circulation and revenue at many free daily newspapers are down as the industry grapples with a difficult advertising market, the New York Times reports. As a result, free daily publishers like Metro International -- which recently agreed to sell its New York and Philadelphia papers -- are cutting costs and consolidating.

Continue ReadingFree Dailies Struggle During Downturn

James Renner says a story he wrote alleging that a Republican gubernatorial candidate had an affair with a former aide was killed after the politician threatened to file suit if it was published. Renner says that when he complained about this in an email to the CEO of Scene parent company Times Shamrock, he was fired. "I was told by both my publisher and my editor that the story was spiked because we couldn't afford another lawsuit," Renner tells Editor & Publisher. Times Shamrock CEO Matthew Haggerty begs to differ. "Our decisions concerning whether or not to publish any story, including the story referenced in Mr. Renner's lawsuit, is never dictated by the threat of potential litigation," he said in a statement. "Rather, Mr. Renner's draft story was passed over for publication because it did not meet management's basic standards of journalism as required of all our reporters and editors." In addition to demanding reinstatement, Renner is asking the court to declare the story he submitted to Scene not defamatory. The suit names the gubernatorial candidate in question, Ohio State Sen. Kevin Coughlin, as a defendant.

Continue ReadingWriter Files Wrongful Termination Suit Against Cleveland Scene

When the Press Club of Long Island, the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, announced the winners of its 2009 Media Awards contest at its annual awards dinner Thursday night, Long Island's only alt-weekly came away with a total of 17 awards. The Press won two "all media" awards -- Brad Pareso was named Cub Reporter of the Year, and the paper was named a co-winner (with Newsday) of the Robert Greene Public Service Award for a story on heroin use in the area. (That story is also up for a Public Service AltWeekly Award.) In competition with other weeklies, the Press won first-place awards in the following categories: Arts, Business/Economic/Financial, Deadline News, Feature, Government/Politics, and Non-Deadline News.

Continue ReadingLong Island Press Fares Well in Regional SPJ Awards

In his latest book, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, the controversial Fox News host reflects on his days attending Boston University in the 1970s. He notes that once he was bitten by the journalism bug, he started being published in Boston's alt-weeklies. "I ran around Boston annoying the hell out of everyone, but bringing back good, crisp copy," O'Reilly writes. "In addition to the Free Press [BU's student paper], I got stuff published in the Boston Phoenix and the Real Paper. Then, I recycled the articles into class assignments. Somehow, this worked out great. How could I get a bad grade if somebody had paid me for a piece and it ran on page two?"

Continue ReadingWho Knew? Bill O’Reilly Wrote for Alt-Weeklies in the 70s