Read more about the article Erik Wemple Says His New Job is ‘an Enormous Opportunity’

After announcing yesterday that he was leaving Washington City Paper to edit a new local news website being launched by Allbritton Communications (the folks behind Politico), Wemple and Allbritton's Jim Brady made the media rounds to talk about the move. Here are some highlights:

  • Wemple tells Politico he's excited about the potential of the new site: "I think the possibilities, the horizons, really open up if you look at the talent and the resources that are behind this."
  • The site will try to incorporate work from Politico and Allbritton's two local TV operations, Wemple tells the Washington Post: "We're hoping to really carve some new ground as to how a TV and web operation can mutually reinforce themselves."
  • Brady explains to Washington Business Journal why he hired Wemple: "When you read the City Paper, you get a sense they're really having fun. That's not happening in a ton of places in journalism these days."
  • Wemple says he hopes to launch the site with between 15 and 20 reporters; DCist wonders if any will be current City Paper staffers.

Continue ReadingErik Wemple Says His New Job is ‘an Enormous Opportunity’

Wemple told the City Paper staff this morning that he's leaving in mid-March to edit a new local news website being launched by Allbritton Communications. Wemple has been affiliated with City Paper on and off since 1994, and has edited the alt-weekly since 2002. Wemple says Jim Brady, the former editor of Washingtonpost.com whom Albritton tapped to lead the new project, wants the new site to have the "Washington City Paper voice and feel and sense of authority about local stuff."

Continue ReadingWashington City Paper Editor Erik Wemple is Leaving the Paper

Tom Scocca, Tony Millionaire, Dina Kelberman, Benn Ray and Emily Flake have written a letter to City Paper asking the paper to bring back Larnell Custis Butler's "Just Ask Larnell" strip, the most recent winner of the alt-weekly's comics contest. The writers, all of them judges in the contest, allege that the paper "broke the terms of the contest" by dropping the strip before its promised year run was up. But editor Lee Gardner begs to differ. "Contest winner or not, Ms. Butler's comic became part of City Paper's weekly editorial content, and each aspect of that content runs or not at my discretion," he responds. "She will receive full payment for a year's run. I have a good deal of regard and respect for Ms. Butler, but I stand by my decision."

Continue ReadingBaltimore City Paper Comics Contest Judges Want Winning Comic Back

The Sex-Positive Journalism Awards have announced the winners of the 2009 Sexies, the annual awards that go to stories that "improve the quality of dialogue around sex and create a more well-informed reading public." Seven Days' Judith Levine took home a first-place win in the Opinion category, where she also tied for second place with a Village Voice piece by Tristan Taormino. Amanda Hess of Washington City Paper picked up a third-place win in the Columns category for "The Sexist," while in the News/Features (Alt-Weeklies, Monthlies) category the Alibi's Marisa Demarco placed third and Rich Kane (OC Weekly) and Michael J. Mooney (New Times Broward-Palm Beach) both were named runners-up.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weeklies Pick Up Some Wins at the 2009 ‘Sexies’ Awards

Gimme Noise has put together a Feb. 6 concert to benefit victims of the Haiti earthquake. The show's co-headliners -- Mark Mallman and Solid Gold -- were both City Pages cover subjects last year. All proceeds from the show will be split evenly between the Red Cross Haiti Relief & Development Fund and Architecture for Humanity.

Continue ReadingCity Pages’ Music Blog Organizes Haiti Benefit Concert

Back in March 2006, City Paper staff writer Huan Hsu reported on the lack of racial diversity in the paper's newsroom: "It's not all that surprising that the Washingtonian is a really white magazine. It would seem a much bigger problem for the City Paper, which purports to write about a predominately black city, yet is produced by a bunch of young white folks who live in Northwest D.C." Current staffer Andrew Beaujon revisits the piece and reports that the paper has not only gotten smaller, but it has gotten whiter as well. "Our full-time editorial staff then: 22, all but two of whom were white," he writes. "Our full-time edit staff now: 10, all of whom are white."

Continue ReadingWashington City Paper’s Edit Staff: Smaller and Whiter than in ’06

Holly Mullen, who left the alt-weekly in February 2009 after nearly two years at the helm, has entered the 2010 race for the at-large Salt Lake County Council seat currently held by her step-daughter, Jenny Wilson. "She will be running as a Democrat in one of the few major races where a Democrat can actually win," the Weekly reports. READ MORE from the Salt Lake Tribune.

Continue ReadingFormer Salt Lake City Weekly Editor Running for Office