b, a free daily tabloid with an initial planned distribution of 50,000, will target younger readers, the Sun says. In addition to original content, the paper will feature user-generated content and repurposed material from RedEye, the daily youth tabloid run by the Sun's sister publication, the Chicago Tribune.

Continue ReadingBaltimore Sun’s Free Youth Tabloid to Launch April 14

"This week's issue marks a thorough redesign of the paper, only the fourth new design in the paper's 29 years," writes editor Stephen Buel. "It also is the culmination of the transformation we intended to make when a group of investors bought the Express last year and returned it to independence and local control." Changes include a 1.5 inch reduction in the height of the paper and four additional pages of editorial content.

Continue ReadingEast Bay Express Redesigns With Trimmed Size, Expanded Content

"Jane Doe," a woman who had cosmetic surgery to remove excess skin, is suing her doctors for providing before-and-after photographs to the St. Louis alt-weekly for a 2006 story on one of the surgeons, UPI reports. She claims she was told the photos were only for the doctors' internal use. The Times, which is not a party in the suit, has more on the case here.

Continue ReadingPhotos in Riverfront Times Story Lead to Lawsuit

Legal proceedings for the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation's case against three Weekly employees and the paper on charges related to adult advertising are scheduled to get underway later this month. Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas thinks the case, which "smacks of payback," should be settled, and suggests a way forward: "Immediately drop all charges against the employees," he writes. "Drop all felony charges against the Weekly and ask the judge to withhold adjudication on misdemeanor charges of aiding and abetting prostitution. In exchange, the Weekly reimburses all costs and agrees in writing to stop taking ads from prostitutes and unlicensed massage parlors."

Continue ReadingColumnist: ‘Prosecutors Need to Settle’ Orlando Weekly Case

Harvard Univ. economics professor Dr. Joseph Kalt and newspaper analyst John Morton testified on Village Voice Media's behalf on Thursday. Former SF Weekly publisher Troy Larkin also took the stand. SF Weekly reports on the testimony of Kalt, Morton and Larkin, while SFBG sticks with Kalt and Morton for now. The trial resumes today with the cross-examination of Larkin.

Continue ReadingSF Weekly Expert Witnesses Testify in Bay Guardian/VVM Trial

The predatory pricing trial resumed yesterday after taking Tuesday off. Village Voice Media chief financial officer Keating finished his testimony, and three more witnesses were called: Jennifer Vernon from Live Nation (formerly Clear Channel Concerts); James Higginbotham of International Demographics, the company that runs Media Audit; and the SF Weekly's expert witness, economics professor Joseph P. Kalt. For more details, check out reports from the Guardian and the Weekly.

Continue ReadingWitnesses Continue Testimony in Bay Guardian/VVM Trial

The paper's Business Development Office is actively recruiting reporters for a new print publication targeting younger readers to be launched in April, according to the Maryland Daily Record. The publication, which is scheduled to launch in April, will reportedly be a five-day-per-week paper. While the Sun is a Tribune Co. property, this print product seems to be of a different nature than the weekly Metromix print companion, which the company rolled out in Los Angeles this week.

Continue ReadingBaltimore Sun to Launch Print Product Aimed at Younger Readers