All their hard work demystifying the arts is being rewarded. Village Voice art critic Kim Levin, Independent Weekly arts editor olufunke moses and L.A. Weekly film critic Ella Taylor are among the seven writers chosen to receive USC Annenberg/Getty Arts Journalism Fellowships this year. Nearly 100 mid-career arts and culture journalists from the United States and eight foreign countries applied.

Continue ReadingThree Alt-Weekly Journalists Win Arts Reporting Fellowships

Veteran reporter Savannah Blackwell is among those whose jobs were eliminated. Several other workers had their hours cut. Executive Editor Tim Redmond blames the downsizing on "a brutal economy that the president isn't making any better and a very difficult national ad sales environment." REDMOND TELLS AAN: "The Chronicle and E&P stories weren't accurate; the number of layoffs was fewer than six."

Continue ReadingSan Francisco Bay Guardian Lays Off Several Employees

Newsweekly readers tend to be single, educated and hot to party. This much we know. Now we also know what sorts of neighborhoods they live in and how they like to spend their money. Some of the papers' most loyal readers are suburban couples raising kids, urban immigrants in multi-racial communities, active older people who like to travel, single city dwellers of all ethnicities and lower-income African-American single parents. Research firm Claritas profiled our diverse readership for Alternative Weekly Network.

Continue ReadingAlternative Newsweekly Readers Come from All Kinds of Neighborhoods, Research Firm Reports

Bolstered by political campaigns and the Summer Olympic Games, spending on advertising in the U.S. is expected to increase 7.8% in 2004 to $138.4 billion, according to a forecast released Thursday by the leading tracker of ad spending.

Continue ReadingTNS: Ad Spending to Rise 7.8% in 2004

Some Cincinnati police officers claimed to be in two places at once so they could double-bill the city and the public housing authority, Leslie Blade reported in CityBeat on Dec. 10. Now the Cincinnati City Council wants to ask her questions about the scandal so badly it voted 5-4 last week to subpoena her. CityBeat Editor/Co-Publisher John Fox criticizes the decision to make a journalist an investigative tool of government.

Continue ReadingCincinnati City Council Votes to Subpoena CityBeat Reporter

After serving as associate publisher of the Springfield, Ill., newsweekly for the past 18 months, during which time she oversaw the paper's Web site debut and redesign, Whalen replaces Fletcher Farrar as the Times' publisher. She also becomes part owner of the paper along with Farrar and his wife, Mary Jessup. Farrar, president of the weekly's parent company, Central Illinois Communications, says Whalen "not only understands how to serve advertisers and keep the business side running, she also has a passion for the news and editorial side of our business."

Continue ReadingSharon Whalen Named Publisher of Illinois Times

Two of the main rep firms for alternative newsweeklies had significant gains in national advertising in 2003, E&P reports following an announcement by AAN today. The Ruxton Group, which represents 28 newsweeklies, experienced a 17 percent increase over 2002. Alternative Weekly Network, which represents more than 100 newsweeklies, had a 6 percent increase in national sales over 2002.

Continue ReadingAlternative Newspapers Announce Solid National Ad Growth in 2003