Phoenix Media/Communications Group, which owns the Boston, Portland and Providence Phoenix papers, has let ten employees go. The layoffs include CFO/COO Richard Gallagher; corporate controller Michael Notkin and assistant corporate controller Chris Crandall. The Weekly Dig broke the news of the changes yesterday when it published a staff memo sent by Phoenix Media president Bradley Mindich, which says Mindich will take over some of Gallagher's duties, while Mike Fuller will take on the interim CFO/COO role as they search for a replacement. "This is the sort of strategic reshuffle that prudent companies engage in to stay on top in demanding markets," Phoenix executive editor Peter Kadzis says in a statement released last night. His comments are echoed by Mindich, who tells AAN News in an email that Phoenix Media is focused on "performance across the board" and "ensuring we have the best of the best here to continue to execute our multi-platform strategy." MORE from the Boston Herald.

Continue ReadingPhoenix Media Lays Off 10, Including Some Top Employees

David Simon, whose harsh portrayal of the Baltimore Sun in The Wire caused a minor stir in media circles a few years ago, is back with a new HBO series, Treme, which also features a reporter character: Jill, a Village Voice reporter played by Danai Gurira. "We'd hope for an honest portrayal of what it's like to work at the Village Voice, and we got one," the Voice's Foster Kamer writes. The character "is first greeted at an awesome, hopping party (which we all go to, nightly) by legendary Jazz critic (and Voice alum) Stanley Crouch, and told how great a piece she wrote was. It happens. She's then greeted by another legendary cultural critic, Nelson George, and asked how the Village Voice is treating her. She replies in the ambivalent-affirmative ("Ehh. Good enough.") thus accurately conforming to Page 121, Paragraph 3, Section A of the Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC employee handbook."

Continue ReadingTreme Character Works for the Village Voice

As we noted two days ago, the local branch of the Church of Scientology was in talks to buy the building that Creative Loafing recently settled into in Tampa's Ybor Square area. This morning CL's David Warner is reporting that the building was indeed sold to the church, per a letter sent last night to CL's CFO.

Continue ReadingIt’s Official: Scientologists are Creative Loafing (Tampa)’s New Landlords

The Association of Food Journalists (AFJ) has announced the winners in its 2010 awards competition, and four AAN members are in the mix. Miami New Times has placed in three categories -- Best Newspaper Food Feature (under 200K circ.), Best Newspaper Food Story and Best Newspaper Food Criticism. The Village Voice staff is competing in the Best Newspaper Food Coverage (150-250K circ.) category, while the L.A. Weekly staff is in the running for Best Food Blog. And the Mountain Xpress' Hanna Raskin, who recently decamped to the Dallas Observer, is competing in the Best Newspaper Food Column category. The placement of the winners will be announced at AFJ's annual conference in September.

Continue ReadingFour Alt-Weeklies Named Finalists in Food Journalism Awards

With medical marijuana dispensaries growing like pot plants in all areas of California, the business has become quite competitive in areas like Sacramento, KCRA-TV reports. To get ahead, many shops are advertising in the Sacramento News & Review, where the TV station reports there are many ads that include perks like free lighters and delivers, and even free grams. While the daily Sacramento Bee and more conservative Sacramento Magazine don't run dispensary ads, News & Review CEO Jeff von Kaenel says he's got no problem with doing so, adding that about 15 percent of the paper's ads are currently medical marijuana-related. "It reflects the values we have at the News & Review," he says. "We let our readers make up their own minds about things. They're mature enough, and we don't want to be a censor of business in Sacramento."

Continue ReadingSacramento News & Review Selling Lots of Medical Marijuana Ads

In a note to readers published last week in Phoenix New Times, Village Voice Media executive editor Michael Lacey and CEO Jim Larkin say that VVM is underwriting the cost of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona's forthcoming litigation against the state's new and controversial immigration law, would make the failure to carry immigration documents a crime and give police broad power to detain anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant. "Arizona has chosen to insist that all law enforcement in the state adopt the police-state tactics of infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio," write Lacey and Larkin, who both have been the target of Arpaio, before inviting New Times readers to chip in to help the ACLU fight the new law. "We would like to extend an invitation to you, our readers, to join in this struggle against the cracker policies of Arizona politicians and certain elements within law enforcement typified by Sheriff Arapio."

Continue ReadingVVM Underwriting Legal Challenge to Arizona Immigration Law

Pitch staff writer Nadia Pflaum has won a 2009 Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists in the Feature Reporting for non-daily papers category for "Aftermath." Judges chose the winners from over 1,300 entries; the awards will be presented Oct. 2 during a ceremony in Las Vegas.

Continue ReadingThe Pitch Wins National SPJ Award