At the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies annual meeting on Saturday, July 23 in New Orleans, members voted unanimously to change the organization's name to Association of Alternative Newsmedia. The association also elected Colorado Springs Independent CEO Fran Zankowski as President and admitted its first online-only publication: The American Independent News Network.

Continue ReadingAAN Members Approve Name Change, Elect Zankowski As President

At 3 pm EST, this Friday, Nov. 20, AAN will continue its live chat series with winners from the AAN 2009 journalism contest with Anne Schindler, editor of Folio Weekly, who won first place in the column writing category in the 50,000 and under circulation category. She will be interviewed by Santa Fe Reporter editor Julia Goldberg in a chat that will happen right here on the AAN.org home page.

Continue ReadingNext ‘How I Got That Story’ Slated for This Friday

Anne Schindler returned to work last week after spending nearly two months out of the office battling cervical cancer. Schindler, who joined the Jacksonville, Fla., alt-weekly in 1995 and was named editor in 2002, received a clean bill of health from her doctors, who told her that surgery had completely removed the cancer. "It's almost like I was never gone. My staff covered for me beautifully," Schindler tells AAN News. "Nobody missed me in the least. And I've got this really cool scar now."

Continue ReadingFolio Weekly Editor Back After Bout with Cancer

John Yarmuth, founder and former executive editor of the Louisville Eccentric Observer, will run in the Democratic primary for Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District seat, which is currently held by Republican Anne Northup. Although Yarmuth sold LEO to Times Publishing in 2003, he has continued to pen a regular column for the paper. (LEO is suspending the column as long as Yarmuth remains in the race.) Michael Clingaman, the executive director of Kentucky's Republican Party, told The Courier-Journal that Yarmuth is "the most liberal of the liberals, and he's bragged about it in print for 15 years."

Continue ReadingLEO Founder Runs for Congress

Readers of Gambit Weekly, New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Miami New Times, Weekly Planet (Tampa), Weekly Planet (Sarasota), Folio Weekly and Orlando Weekly have lately seen Mother Nature at her worst. Distributed in areas affected by the hurricanes that have pounded Florida and surrounding states since August, these alt-weeklies have come out on schedule -- thanks to determined staffers and contingency plans.

Continue ReadingIn Harm’s Way, Alt-Weeklies Weather Hurricanes