A new Harris Interactive study finds that while there is a definite trend toward online advertising from print and broadcast, many consumers are still annoyed by many forms of digital ads. The most annoying type of ad, the study found, is one that spreads across the page and covers the content beneath it.

Continue ReadingStudy: Most U.S. Consumers Frustrated by Internet Ads

"It was the greatest 11 years that I've spent in many ways, lucky to do the things that I love doing," Ken Simon says of the time he founded and ran the alt-weekly. "I helped to invent the concept of the alternative newspaper, me and the people who worked with me. The Syracuse New Times is the third-oldest alternative weekly, and that's something, especially when you consider that this is Syracuse; it isn't San Francisco or Boston or Chicago or New York City." New Times is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Continue ReadingSyracuse New Times Founder Looks Back

Earlier this month, the alt-weekly launched a daily e-blast that will feature one full story along with listings and other timely content, like profiles of musicians or authors who have appearances that day. The Daily, which has the catchy slogan "Today's News...Today," will be published each day at 1 pm. "It's been twenty years since Jackson had an afternoon daily," publisher Todd Stauffer tells the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership (pdf). "We thought it would be interesting to revive that tradition, but starting from the ground up using 21st Century technology."

Continue ReadingJackson Free Press Launches ‘JFP Daily’

The Reader this month published Judith Moore's A Bad, Bad Boy, which looks at the life of Frank Bompensiero, "the most feared mobster in Southern California for 30 years." Moore, who passed away in 2006, spent 10 years following the traces of Bompensiero, a Mafia hit man who later became the basis for the Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bompensiero character in The Sopranos.

Continue ReadingSan Diego Reader Releases Posthumous Book by Former Editor

In today's bankruptcy hearing, the judge said she will wait until the Aug. 25 equity auction to define what the "highest and best" offer will be, a decision that CL CEO Ben Eason has said will be of utmost importance to the future of the six-paper company. "While today's hearing about the rules and procedures for the bidding was given a pretty high-drama buildup ... it didn't live up to its billing and was actually a complex, confusing, and undramatic court session," Creative Loafing (Tampa)'s Wayne Garcia writes. Following the hearing, Eason told Garcia he's considering stepping down temporarily as CEO to focus on putting together a new bid for the company, though he said he hasn't made a decision yet and has no timetable in mind.

Continue ReadingKey Decision in Creative Loafing Bankruptcy Case Will Come Aug. 25

The shock rocker has issued a warning on MySpace against journalists who write "cavalier statements," saying there will be repercussions for the "soon-to-be-murdered-in-their-home press" if more inaccuracies are reported. Manson's threats come on the heels of a recent L.A. Weekly interview with Buddyhead.com founder Travis Keller, who talked about what it was like to meet Manson in 2007. In the piece, Keller paints Manson as a paranoid cocaine addict and a fraud.

Continue ReadingL.A. Weekly Story Leads Marilyn Manson to Threaten Journos

CL CEO Ben Eason has said that today's hearing (rescheduled from Monday) will likely determine whether or not he will be able to retain control of the six-paper chain. The actual auction is slated for Aug. 25, but Eason says that if the judge allows unfettered bidding by Atalaya Capital Management, the company's largest creditor, he may have no chance. He thinks that would be unfair and will ask the judge to restrict Atalaya's ability to bid. "What you'll see is the judge grappling with a core issue: How do you preside over a fair auction where one of the bidders has an advantage that would cause others not to bid," Eason says. "It's like pulling money out of one pocket and putting it into another."

Continue ReadingJudge to Set Rules of Creative Loafing Auction Today

As part of the Village Voice's education supplement, the alt-weekly talks to several 2009 graduates from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism about what it feels like to enter an industry that many are proclaiming to be near death. Surprisingly, they remain upbeat about the future and feel prepared to take part in the rebirth of the news industry. "If you look at it differently, it's an exciting time in journalism," one recent grad says. "People are trying to come up with solutions to find out what the future is going to be."

Continue ReadingColumbia J-School Grads Remain ‘Excited and Hopeful’

BeedFack is a ballot and survey web engine "designed to take the headache out of conducting large-scale reader's polls and managing associated editorial workflow and output," Avenews says in a release. The product works for simple and complex surveys, including the ubiquitous "Best Of" reader polls so many alt-weeklies undertake. "My staff is embracing it, finding it easy and fast," Salt Lake City Weekly editor Jerre Wroble says. "The best part is that once we've used the system for a Best Of, it remembers all write-ups, winners and locations so each year the process is quicker and easier."

Continue ReadingAvenews Launches New Balloting and Survey Software

The Texas real estate company First Call Properties, which sued Craigslist for trademark infringement based on ads posted by users, has withdrawn the suit against the online listings website. First Call will continue its suit against AAA Apartment Locating, the company it says posted Craigslist ads using the phrases "first call," "call first," and "call us first" in a deliberate attempt to confuse consumers.

Continue ReadingReal Estate Co. Drops Trademark Infringement Suit Against Craigslist