Twelve papers have applied for membership to the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies this year, the first crop of prospective members since the association revised its bylaws in June 2004.

Five of this year’s candidates would not have been eligible to apply for membership under the old bylaws, which prohibited applications from papers owned by a daily-paper publishing company or its affiliate. The five daily-paper owned hopefuls are Las Vegas Weekly, Las Vegas Mercury, Las Vegas City Life, Port Folio Weekly (Norfolk, Va.) and Style Weekly (Richmond, Va.). Las Vegas City Life is owned by Wick Communications, the Arizona-based company that acquired AAN-member Tucson Weekly several years ago.

Four applicants have applied for membership in previous years: Bellingham (Wash.) Weekly, City Pulse (Lansing, Mich.), High Plains Reader (Fargo, N.D.) and Northern Express Weekly (Traverse City, Mich.).

Another applicant, The Independent (Lafayette, La.), is owned by Steve and Cherie May. The Mays owned the Times of Acadiana, a former AAN member paper, until selling it in 1999.

For the next few months, members of the Membership Committee, chaired by The Memphis Flyer Publisher Kenneth Neill, will consider the applications according to AAN’s amended bylaws.

After reviewing the papers and the Membership Committee recommendations, AAN members will vote on which to accept as members on Saturday, June 18, at the association’s Annual Meeting. This takes place on the last day of the 28th annual convention in San Diego, Calif.

These are the 12 papers that applied for admission this year:

• Bellingham (Wash.) Weekly
• Chattanooga (Tenn.) Pulse
• City Pulse (Lansing, Mich.)
• High Plains Reader (Fargo, N.D.)
• The Independent (Lafayette, La.)
• Las Vegas Weekly
• Las Vegas Mercury
• Las Vegas City Life
• Northern Express Weekly (Traverse City, Mich.)
• Planet Jackson Hole (Jackson Hole, Wyo.)
• Port Folio Weekly (Norfolk, Va.)
• Style Weekly (Richmond, Va.)