American Community Newspapers, which purchased the Columbus, Ohio, alt-weekly in May 2007, announced on Tuesday its intent to voluntarily remove its stock from NYSE Alternext (formerly the American Stock Exchange). The move will "save management time and attention" and also "eliminate listing fees and result in reduced expenses," according to a press release. The company expects its last day on the exchange to be Nov. 11, but shares could continue to trade on an over-the counter basis after the delisting takes effect.

Continue ReadingThe Other Paper Parent Company Will Delist its Stock

US District Judge Lesley Wells this week dismissed in its entirety a suit brought against the Scene by Dr. Edward Patrick. Patrick had argued that a 2004 article by Thomas Francis falsely suggested his resume was misleading, his medical credentials were not valid, and that his board certification process was fraudulent. The doctor sought compensation for defamation, invasion of privacy by disclosure of private facts, and false light invasion of privacy, all of which were thrown out by the court.

Continue ReadingDefamation Suit Against Cleveland Scene Dismissed

Miami New Times' Lee Klein won a first-place award for Newspaper Restaurant Criticism in this year's Association of Food Journalists awards. Robb Walsh of the Houston Press and Randall Roberts of Riverfront Times took second and third place, respectively, in the Newspaper Food Feature category; and Seattle Weekly's Maggie Dutton finished second in the Newspaper Food Column category. Winners were announced last weekend at a banquet in Houston.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weeklies Win Four Food Journalism Awards

"Has anybody seen this?," asked Jacksonville Ethics Commission member Pat Sher at the commission's meeting this week. She was holding a Folio story detailing how the city withheld public records from the paper for years. "I have, and I have gotten calls about this from concerned citizens. The public is concerned about the withholding of public records. We need to make sure the public is getting the information they request." The Jacksonville Daily Record reports the commission ultimately voted 5-3 to request that the city's general counsel meet with the Ethics Commission to discuss the accusations made in the Folio article.

Continue ReadingFolio Weekly Story Leads Ethics Commission to Ask for Meeting

Creative Loafing Inc.'s CEO says former staffer Steve Fennessy's coverage of his company's bankruptcy filing is mistaken in several respects. Eason says that Fennessy is "mis-reading the strength of CL's open and resilient culture and how this relates to its financial and journalistic success," and that he is not accounting "for the fundamental macro issues facing media companies and their financial footings." Eason also admits that court documents (pdf) filed last week by Creative Loafing were mistaken: Its July-to-September revenues were $8.3 million -- not $3.5 million, as the document states -- with print revenue declining 15 percent and online sales up 180 percent during that period, on a year-over-year basis.

Continue ReadingBen Eason Corrects the Record