"A City Hall proposal to group news boxes together in new kiosks ran into a barrage of criticism from media representatives and elected officials Monday night at the Board of Aldermen's Legislation Committee, which tabled the proposal," the New Haven Independent reports. New Haven Advocate publisher Josh Mamis spoke at the meeting, telling the committee that the proposal's prioritization of daily papers over weeklies is a restriction of freedom of speech, according to the Independent. He also complained about the way the city handled the issue, claiming that he wasn't even aware of news rack problems in New Haven. "I've never fielded a complaint," he told the committee. "If there are problems I'd love to hear about them." The ordinance will reportedly be revisited after more input from local media is obtained.

Continue ReadingNew Haven Tables News Box Legislation

Lynda Barry, who has been authoring "Ernie Pook's Comeek" for 30 years, explains her method of making drawings and stories in What It Is, which was released yesterday by Drawn and Quarterly. She talks to the New York Times about her work and her long career as a cartoonist. "It was a happy accident that Ms. Barry graduated [from college] just as alternative weeklies were springing up around the country and searching, as she put it, 'for oddball comics,'" the Times reports. "She soon became one of a small elite, her strip appearing with [Matt] Groening's 'Life in Hell' alongside the work of Jules Feiffer." Barry will be making some appearances on the East Coast in June and at Comic-Con in July, according to Drawn and Quarterly.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weekly Cartoonist Details Her Methods in New Book

We're not sure how big they are, but after 15 years at the Santa Barbara Independent, Tom Morey has left two pairs of shoes to fill. According to a release from the paper, Jen Malkin and Robby Robbins will replace Morey by "dividing the awesome task of sales management." Robbins, who serves on the AAN Board as Classified Advertising Chair, "will concentrate on bringing sales in the door" while Malkin "lords over" production and marketing. And Morey isn't going anywhere: He will remain with the paper as part of the sales management team focusing on the local arts community.

Continue ReadingSanta Barbara Independent Sales Manager to be Replaced by Two People

The state's two AAN members were well-represented when the Arizona Press Club presented its annual awards on Saturday night. Phoenix New Times took home a total of 17 awards, including first-place wins in Arts Writing or Criticism; Children, Families and Seniors Issues Reporting; Environment and Science Reporting; Investigative Reporting; News Column Writing; and Politics and Government Reporting. Staff writer Sarah Fenske tied for first-runner up in the prestigious Virg Hill Journalist of the Year award. Tucson Weekly won a total of 16 awards, including first-place finishes in Business Reporting; Commentary/Analysis; Film, Video and Television Criticism; Personality Profile; Personality Profile Reporting; Public Safety Reporting; Sports Reporting; and Sustained Coverage.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weeklies Pick Up 33 Arizona Press Club Awards

Creative Loafing has named Jonathan Maziarz as editor of the Sarasota edition. He succeeds Max Linsky, who has been named manager and online editor for Creative Loafing's corporate office. "With nearly 500 columns under his belt, Maziarz has edited newspapers in the mountains of Colorado, the shores of Lake Tahoe and, most recently, on the coast of Georgia," according to a press release. "I admire the Creative Loafing philosophy of providing a serious alternative to the mainstream media, mixing a strong sense of community with an independent spirit and a sense of humor," Maziarz says in the release. "I am ready to bring my experience, leadership and enthusiasm to the CL team."

Continue ReadingCreative Loafing (Sarasota) Names New Editor

The New York Times this weekend explored the movement of "mad pride," which entails people publicly speaking frankly about their experiences with mental illness. The Times noted that Philadelphia Weekly senior contributing editor Liz Spikol, who chronicles her struggles with bipolar disorder for the paper in her column and on her blog, is a leading and prominent voice in this area. Spikol says she's "so excited" to be in the article -- and so is her mom. "Imagine my mom seeing the link on Mother's Day, and keep in mind, we are a Jewish family," she writes. "We ran to WaWa to get a copy of the paper because, for some reason, I wouldn't believe it was 'real' until I saw the print edition." The Times also traces the origins of the prominent online forum and support network The Icarus Project to the alt-weekly world -- it began six years ago when "one of its founders ... wrote about his bipolar disorder in the San Francisco Bay Guardian."

Continue ReadingAlt-Weekly Scribe’s Work on Mental Illness is Part of Growing Trend

The City Paper took home 10 2008 Golden Quill Awards, which were announced at a reception last night. The alt-weekly finished first in five categories -- Business reporting, Criticism, Cultural reporting, Enterprise/Investigative, and Sports -- and was also a finalist in five categories. The competition "recognizes professional excellence in written, photographic, broadcast and online journalism in Western Pennsylvania."

Continue ReadingPittsburgh City Paper Wins Western PA Press Club Awards

Judge Marla Miller of San Francisco Superior Court said Friday she's inclined to boost a jury's damages award against the Weekly from $6.3 million to $15.6 million, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Miller, in what she described as a tentative decision, said she would triple the portion of the damages that equals one year of losses, bringing the total to $15.6 million. She also said she'll likely issue an injunction barring the Weekly from continuing to sell ads below cost. She is expected to make a final ruling this week. The Weekly says it will appeal. Read more from the Bay Guardian and the Weekly.

Continue ReadingJudge Says She’ll Raise Damages Award in SF Weekly/Bay Guardian Case