On Friday, we told you that Baltimore City Paper managing editor Erin Sullivan was taking over the editor's spot at sister paper Orlando Weekly. What we neglected to mention is where the Weekly's current editor, Bob Whitby, was going. In a farewell column, he says he is taking "a job editing a paper out west," in Las Vegas. He had been the paper's editor since August 2002. Weekly publisher Rick Schreiber tells the Orlando Sentinel that Whitby will be joining the rest of his family in Vegas; they moved there last summer because Whitby's wife's education required her to relocate.

Continue ReadingOrlando Weekly Editor Leaves for Vegas

Plenty of alt-weeklies have creative covers; some say it's a staple of the genre. But the most recent Portland Mercury cover might be one of the flat-out weirdest we've ever seen: it features an illustration by Andrew Zubko of Betty White, holding a flaming chainsaw, riding John Ritter. This end result sprang from a web poll the paper ran last month to see what readers wanted. (What, no Mercury readers wanted to see Urkel brandishing a kitten atop a dinosaur version of Tim "Tool Time" Taylor?) Gawker calls the cover a "slightly insane, slightly amazing pop-culture mindfuck."

Continue ReadingPortland Mercury Readers’ Ideas Fuel Bizarre Cover

A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has approved a request by Halifax firefighters to order the alt-weekly to reveal the identities and IP addresses of six people who allegedly defamed them in the comments section of a story about fire department racism. The Coast's editor, Kyle Shaw, says that they'd already booted the commenters from the site, and the paper will comply with the court order. "We thought we'd leave it to the judge," he says. "Are these people who deserve some kind of protection? As ex-members of the Coast community, I don't know their legal standing or my ethical obligation to them." The judge also ruled that Google must provide all information relating to the identity of one person who circulated a letter also alleged to be defamatory.

Continue ReadingThe Coast Ordered to Name Commenters on Controversial Story

California Superior Court Judge Marla J. Miller ruled on Tuesday that she has no authority to amend a 2008 predatory-pricing judgment since the case is already pending before the California Court of Appeal. The San Francisco Bay Guardian had asked the court to include Village Voice Media LLC and Village Voice Media Holdings LLC, as part of its efforts to collect the money it was awarded in the judgment against SF Weekly. The Weekly has refused to pay the $21 million it owes the Guardian, saying it will pay once it exhausts its options to appeal.

Continue ReadingJudge Won’t Include SF Weekly Parent Co. in ’08 Judgment

Bill Brod, who purchased New Times from Art Zimmer last week, says he was convinced that the alt-weekly would be a sound investment by, among other things, the collective 140-plus years of staff experience. "The commitment to this publication by several members of the staff just speaks volumes to me about the quality of the paper," he says. He goes on to discuss his plans for the paper, including how to better integrate New Times' website with the print edition.

Continue ReadingNew Syracuse New Times Owner Talks About Taking Over

The LimeWire Store has just released Ear to the Ground: Memphis, a free 14-track sampler of local bands curated by the Memphis Flyer. "We're always looking for ways to promote Memphis and its music scene," Flyer music editor Chris Herrington says in a release. "And the Ear to the Ground series, with its great track record in other cities, seemed like a terrific opportunity to do just that."

Continue ReadingMemphis Flyer is Latest Alt-Weekly to Curate LimeWire Compliation

Erich Burnett has been named editor of the Cleveland Scene. Burnett is a Cleveland native whose background includes 12 years as an editor of Scene and corporate editor for Scene's previous parent companies, New Times and Village Voice Media. Burnett most recently served as senior editor for Village Voice Media. Burnett took over as editor on April 13. The Scene is part of Times-Shamrock Communications.

Continue ReadingCleveland Scene Names New Editor

The board members of Dane Buy Local, a coalition of local independent businesses, organizations and citizens in and around Dane County, Wisc., have selected Isthmus advertising manager Colin Murray as the organization's new Board Chair. The group, which includes more than 425 members, provides support and promotion for locally owned businesses.

Continue ReadingIsthmus Ad Manager Named Chair of ‘Buy Local’ Board