At least five L.A. Weekly senior editorial and art department employees -- including veteran education reporter Howard Blume -- have filed grievances with management via the International Association of Machinists, the paper's bargaining unit, reports L.A. Alternative Press. Most are alleging that they're being pushed out of their jobs without adequate union process as specified in their contracts and only because they make some of the paper's top union salaries. These charges come on the heels of the September ouster of several veteran employees at The Village Voice, which, like L.A. Weekly, is owned by Village Voice Media.

Continue ReadingL.A. Weekly Employees File Grievance Through Union

Nearly two decades ago, Bradley Zeve bought a failing Monterey County tourist paper called Coasting and gradually transformed it into what is now Monterey County Weekly, reports Ruth Hammond. Celebrating its 16th anniversary this year, the paper owes its longevity to Zeve's approach: Plan carefully, know your audience, and be prepared to weather disasters. The result is a paper that claims the second-highest household penetration -- around 30 percent -- among papers in the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. "By having a huge household penetration, we have a lot of influence," says Zeve.

Continue ReadingMonterey County Weekly Celebrates Its Sweet 16th

Less may be more in Clear Channel's vision of the future, but the radio giant Monday announced plans to provide something more to advertisers and agencies to help them make less. Clear Channel Radio officially unveiled the Clear Channel Radio Creative Resource Group, a new unit aimed at weaning Madison Avenue off of the highly cluttered medium's 60-second advertising unit in favor of shorter 30-second spots.

Continue ReadingRadio Buyers: Clear Channel Wants “More” for Itself, “Less” for Clients

Despite a proliferation of cultural activity, arts and entertainment coverage in most daily newspapers has remained constant, and in some cases decreased, the National Arts Journalism Program at Columbia University says in its new study, Reporting the Arts II: News Coverage of Arts and Culture in America. Summarizing their findings in the Los Angeles Times, the report's authors say hope lies with public radio, the Internet and alternative papers. "The alternative press, once derided by mainline news outlets, has also proved so successful at covering local arts events that media giants such as Tribune Co. and Gannett have started publications that mimic those brash competitors," they write.

Continue ReadingAlts’ Arts Coverage Fills Void Left by Dailies, Journalism Study Finds

The key to success in this digital world lies in three critical factors:

  • The first is the realization that the dynamics in play are very different in the digital world from the printed world.
  • The second is to control the market during transformation.
  • The third is maximizing the experience of both consumers -- readers and users -- and communicators, advertisers and traders.

Continue ReadingDigital Classifieds Shouldn’t Scare Newspapers

New Times writer John Dougherty has filed 17 public records requests with Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Maricopa County, Ariz., Office -- and received nothing in return. So, when Dougherty ran into Lisa Allen MacPherson, public information officer for the sheriff's office, he asked her when the records would be produced. "Never," she replied, adding that her office did not recognize New Times as a legitimate paper. When Dougherty reminded her that all citizens have the right to review public records, MacPherson quipped, "So sue us!" The weekly filed suit in Superior Court on Sept. 23, asking that Arpaio and his office be ordered under Arizona law to produce requested documents.

Continue ReadingPhoenix New Times Files Suit Against Sheriff for Public Records

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising models, which compensate networks or their affiliates each time a user clicks on a link, were always considered to be something of an honor system. But new data coming to light this week reveals that PPC fraud is far more significant than many industry observers would have imagined.

Continue ReadingHalf of All Ad-Clicks Deemed Fraud

Seattle, Wash., alt-weekly The Stranger has tabbed five creative types for its annual Genius Awards, reports Regina Hackett of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The awards, which Stranger editor-in-chief Dan Savage describes as a middle ground between the MacArthur and Publishers Clearinghouse Awards, debuted in 2003. Like last year, each of this year's winners receives a cake frosted with the words "You're a genius!" and a promise of $5,000. A party for the winners will be held Oct. 15 at Western Bridge, a Seattle art space.

Continue ReadingThe Stranger Salutes Genius with Cake