"I think our primary problem was simply finding solid sales reps," Laurie Carlson tells the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The Journal, which was accepted as a member of AAN last weekend, will print its last issue this weekend. Carlson also says it "wasn't a helpful thing" for the Journal that the Stephens Media Group, owner of the island's two daily papers, started its own alternative paper about a year ago. "They have much deeper pockets and they can run something that was heavily subsidized and we can't," she says. "It's a very sad thing."

Continue ReadingPublisher Talks About Why Hawaii Island Journal Called it Quits

Continuum Books has published D.X. Ferris' book, 33 1/3: Reign in Blood, which examines the classic heavy metal record by Slayer. It is part of Continuum's 33 1/3 series, a growing collection of volumes about and inspired by classic albums. "Writing the book, I had two goals in mind," Ferris says. "First, I didn’t want to be the guy who screwed up a Slayer book. Second, I wanted present the story in a way that's compelling to both rabid Slayer fans and to NPR listeners who love pop music, but have never lost a shoe in a mosh pit."

Continue ReadingCleveland Scene Clubs Editor Publishes His First Book

The motions, which were filed earlier this week, ask Superior Court Judge Marla J. Miller to order a new trial if she won't reverse the verdict in the predatory-pricing case, the Weekly reports. The thrust of the Weekly's motion: That the Guardian didn't offer "any actual evidence of an illegal below-cost pricing conspiracy," that the verdict "violates the Weekly's First Amendment and due process rights," and lastly that "the trial was riddled with legal error that unfairly shifted the burden of proof onto the defense." If the judge denies the new motions, the Weekly says it and Village Voice Media intend "to take the case to the California Court of Appeals, which in turn would trigger a process expected to take up to eighteen months."

Continue ReadingSF Weekly Asks Judge to Overturn Verdict in Bay Guardian Case

Web advertising "will continue to grow fast even as the current economic woes will lead to a contraction in ad spending overall, essentially accelerating the transfer of marketing budgets from the traditional media into the new," according to a new study by research group IDC. The group finds that overall internet advertising revenue will double from $25.5 billion in 2007 to $51.1 billion in 2012, making it the second-largest advertising medium, behind only direct mail. IDC predicts that video will be the fastest growing format for web advertising, but search will continue to be the format generating the most revenue.

Continue ReadingStudy: Web Will Be Second-Largest Ad Medium in Five Years

The Journal, which was voted into AAN on Saturday in Philadelphia, will close after its next edition is printed this weekend, according to the Honolulu Advertiser. The paper, which was founded in 1999, was owned by Pacific Catalyst Publishing LLC, which also owns AAN member Honolulu Weekly. "The Journal faced a direct challenge for more than a year from the new Big Island Weekly published by Stephens Media Group," the Advertiser reports. Editor Peter Serafin tells the Pacific Business News that publisher Laurie Carlson told him Monday about the paper's closure but gave no reason for the shutdown. "It came as a complete surprise," he says.

Continue ReadingHawaii Island Journal Folds

A new report issued by The Media Audit reveals that 43.8 million adults have read an alternative newsweekly or visited an alt-weekly website in the past 30 days. The study, which looked at 117 papers in 88 markets, reveals an average readership of 374,296 adults in 2007 compared to 362,938 in the previous year, a 3 percent increase. In addition, the average number of unique monthly web visitors in 2007 is up nearly 7 percent from 2006. "One of the benefits for alternative newsweeklies is the opportunity to reach outside the city where papers are not as readily available," says Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics. "There are a lot of people who come into the city from the suburbs for entertainment and these alternative newspaper websites are positioned as one of the best choices for restaurant, live music, and concert recommendations." RELATED: BizReport says "advertising in alternative newspapers could result in a gold mine for many advertisers."

Continue ReadingReport: Alt-Weekly Readership is Up