Industry executives and analysts tell the New York Times that many large papers will be reporting the sharpest drop ad revenue in generations as they begin to release first-quarter results this week. Small papers aren't faring quite as badly as large ones, according to the Times, and there is a hope among publishers that losses for the rest of 2009 will not be as steep as the first quarter's.

Continue ReadingFirst Quarter Newspaper Ad Revenue Could Fall as Much as 30 Percent

The alt-weekly is rolling out a program "designed to help exceptional businesses get off the ground in exchange for a share in the growth." Once a business is chosen, it will be officially paired with the Express as a marketing/community partner. The paper will subsidize the local marketing of the business in exchange for seeing a return when it grows.

Continue ReadingThe East Bay Express Announces the Angel Business Builder

"Despite reforms enacted by Congress and an order from the last administration to do a better job, federal agencies continue to give those seeking information a frustrating and oftentimes unsatisfying experience," according to a quantitative review by the Sunshine in Government Initiative of federal agency FOIA reports.

Continue ReadingAnalysis Shows a FOIA Backlog

While last year's verdict in favor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian in its predatory pricing lawsuit against SF Weekly and Village Voice Media is being appealed, the Guardian claims VVM is ducking its debts and hiding its assets in an effort not to pay the $15.6 million it owes in damages. VVM executive editor Michael Lacey says that's not correct. "The case is on appeal. You are not entitled to a penny," he writes in a blog post.

Continue ReadingNew Twist in VVM/Bay Guardian Case

Tim Gough talks to the design blog Grain Edit about how he balances his day job at the Weekly with his freelance illustration work, how he became interested in design and illustration, and his creative process. "I start off with a tiny, sloppy sketch and blow that up via computer or Xerox," he says. "I work off the original sketch for the most part, but clean it up and add some textures. I try to keep the looseness and energy of the original sketch."

Continue ReadingPhiladelphia Weekly Art Director Talks Shop