In this week's editor's note welcoming AAN folks to this year's Convention, Philadelphia Weekly editor Tim Whitaker looks at what's sure to be a much-discussed topic this weekend: the state of the alt-weekly business. "In the alt world, editorial staffs are small and getting smaller," he writes. "Not only must a winning online blueprint be conceived and executed with shrinking resources, but great attention must be paid to what is still, for the moment, the nest egg -- the weekly newspaper." He talks to alt-weekly editors from around the country, many of whom have recently seen their editorial staffs drastically cut -- some in half. But even though many staffs are being asked to do more with even less, the editors Whitaker talks to aren't all pessimistic about the future of the industry, and many of them have specific prescriptions. And as professional journalists, we're reminded, the situation could be far worse: We could be in the daily newspaper industry. "We write for intelligent readers," says Village Voice editor Tony Ortega. "Dailies cater to people who don't like to read. Look at the way they're written."
The Weekly's Scott Foundas will join Jury president Gillian Armstrong, Hong Kong producer Nansun Shi and Iranian director/writer/producer Majid Majidi, and Australian actress Essie Davis in determining the winner of the Sydney Film Prize for new directions in film at the 55th Sydney Film Festival, set to take place June 4-22.
Geoff Schumacher, a former editor of CityLife and parent company Stephens Media LLC's director of community publications, has been named CityLife's new publisher, effective May 21. The paper is applying for AAN membership this year.
All of the members who have announced their candidacies are thus far running unopposed. However, AAN bylaws do not require individuals to declare their intention to run in advance. Any regular members who are interested in seeking a seat on the board can be nominated from the floor at the annual meeting, which will be held on Saturday, June 7, during the association's annual meeting in Philadelphia. Read here to find out who has announced they are running, why they want to serve on the board, and what they view as the important issues facing AAN and its members.
The new venture, called MediaX Partners, is a national advertising and marketing solutions company that will focus on "the creation and management of integrated media programs that use the power of a fully-integrated print, online, radio, mobile and promotions platform," according to a press release. "With major brands now looking for, and expecting, streamlined network buys, creative solutions and more value for their buy, the timing has never been better for AWN to leverage its experience and take the lead in this 'new media' world," Phoenix Media/Communications Group president Bradley Mindich says. The group will be open to all AAN members, not just those currently served by AWN.
Tristan Taormino's Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships, which "gives practical advice on how to create responsible, fulfilling, non-monogamous relationships," was released last month by Cleis Press. The "Pucker Up" columnist tells Adult Video News the book is for anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, who is interested in open relationships. "Monogamy, marriage, and cheating are among the most talked-about issues in society today," Taormino says. "When I began this book, I was interested to find out how people in non-monogamous relationships make those relationships work-how they design their relationships, what issues they face, and what makes them tick." She is currently on the West Coast leg of her Astroglide-sponsored book tour -- check her site for complete tour dates.
The winners of the 2007 Society of Professional Journalists' Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Awards were announced on Saturday night, and dozens of awards went to four alt-weeklies. Seattle Weekly led the way with 15 awards, including a total of eight first-place finishes in the Business, Education, Government, Investigative, Lifestyle, Science and Health, Special Section, and Sports categories. The Pacific Northwest Inlander took home 12 awards, including four first-place wins in the Consumer/Environmental Affairs, Humor, Page Design, and Social Issues categories. Eugene Weekly also won seven awards, and the Missoula Independent took home four.
The Louisville Eccentric Observer, which was acquired last month by Nashville-based SouthComm Communications, has named Stephen George as editor and Tammy Norkiewicz as sales manager, according to a press release. George, who previously served as managing editor, has been with LEO since January 2005, and Norkiewicz has been an account executive with the paper since December 2005. LEO has also named former associate editor Sara Havens as the new arts & entertainment editor, and has hired 2008 Academy for Alternative Journalism fellow Phillip Bailey as staff writer. Reached via email, George tells AAN News that Bailey will still participate in the scholarship program this summer; the paper is giving him a leave of absence to do so.
AB 1778, sponsored by Assemblymember Fiona Ma, passed the California Assembly by a vote of 45-24 on May 22 and is now headed to the State Senate, the Berkeley Daily Planet reports. The law would require recycling companies to identify those who bring recyclables and newspapers worth $50 or more to sell. "This should give us the ability to cut off the [poachers'] money supply," East Bay Express publisher Hal Brody says, since a full pick-up load of newsprint usually fetches $80 to $100. The Express, along with the San Francisco Bay Guardian and other Bay Area publications, has been pushing for more action on newspaper theft in the wake of a rash of heists.
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