Francisco

  • The Mountain Xpress is ending its 14-year run as a print publication today, "suspending its regular online news reports and converting its entire news operation to Twitter dispatches from staff and trusted community journalists."
  • The San Francisco Bay Guardian has settled its lawsuit with Village Voice Media, agreeing to drop its legal action and "shut the fuck up" about PG&E, sunshine, media concentration, rent control, and over-development.
  • Publisher Sally Freeman has sold the Boise Weekly to N-Corp-Al, which quickly shut the alt-weekly down and relaunched it as the Treasure Valley Weekly Post.
  • The Washington City Paper has relaunched as the Huffington City Paper.
  • Salt Lake City Weekly announced it has purchased SLUG magazine and will bring new features like "Cute Baby of the Month" and "Those Wacky Pets" to the long-running local underground-music magazine.
  • Athens, Ga., alt-weekly Flagpole has relaunched as "a celebrity 'zine about fun and style, now to be known as Starpole."
  • The East Bay Express is changing editorial course, introducing new procedures like "user-generated copyediting" and "reader-assigned stories."

Continue ReadingAAN Members Across the Country Unveil Major Changes

Among the 43 attorneys that California Lawyer magazine gave California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year Awards to are the three lawyers who worked the Bay Guardian's predatory-pricing case against SF Weekly and Village Voice Media. Ralph Alldredge, Rich Hill and Craig Moody "deftly made the case" for the Guardian, California Lawyer says in a press release.

Continue ReadingSan Francisco Bay Guardian Lawyers Honored by Magazine

The North Central Florida SPJ chapter has announced the winners of its 2008 Florida Awards of Excellence contest, and Village Voice Media's two papers in the state won 20 total awards. Miami New Times staff writer Francisco Alvarado was named Journalist of the Year, and in competition among non-daily papers, his paper took home ten awards, including first-place finishes in Education Reporting, Environmental Reporting, General Reporting (single story), General Reporting (series) and Series Column Writing. New Times Broward-Palm Beach won a total of nine awards, including first-place wins for Business Reporting, Feature (non-deadline), Humorous Column Writing and Sports Reporting (non-deadline).

Continue ReadingVVM Papers Win Big in State SPJ Awards

The California Newspaper Publishers Association announced the winners of its annual Better Newspapers Contest on Saturday, and nine AAN members won a total of 38 awards. The Sacramento News & Review won a total of nine awards, five of which were first-place finishes, including a General Excellence win. "The News & Review is a salty and irreverent weekly packed with excellent coverage of news and culture, multiple voices in columns and two pages of letters," the judges wrote. "Its colorful design is inviting and, praises to the sales department, it is packed with ads." In addition, Palo Alto Weekly also won nine total awards; the North Coast Journal won eight; Chico News & Review won four; the San Francisco Bay Guardian won three; Metro Silicon Valley won two; and the Pacific Sun, Pasadena Weekly and SF Weekly each took home one award. CORRECTION: The Santa Barbara Independent also won five awards.

Continue ReadingCalifornia Alt-Weeklies Take Home Dozens of State Awards

That's what San Francisco's school board president Mark Sanchez, who hopes to replace District 9 Supervisor Tom Ammiano, tells the Bay Area Reporter. Another candidate, David Campos, this week secured the backing of another important group, the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, but Sanchez downplayed not receiving that nod, saying the real prize will be the Bay Guardian's endorsement, which is expected in October. Campos agreed: "I think the Bay Guardian is definitely an important endorsement," he tells the Reporter.

Continue ReadingLocal Pol: Bay Guardian’s Endorsement ‘Is the Big One’

On Friday, the California State Senate passed AB 1778 by a margin of 21-16. The legislation places "modest requirements" on recyclers who engage in large cash transactions for newspapers or other materials. The legislation requires recyclers to pay by check and obtain ID from individuals who bring in more than $50 of newspapers. The law, which has been championed by the East Bay Express, San Francisco Bay Guardian, and other publications, passed the Assembly in June. If signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2009.

Continue ReadingCalifornia Bill to Fight Newspaper Theft Passes Senate

San Francisco Bay Guardian executive editor Tim Redmond reports that Josh Fromson "provided almost nothing" in his turn as a witness yesterday in the Bay Guardian-SF Weekly predatory-pricing lawsuit. Redmond suggests that Fromson feigned ignorance in response to questions posed by the Bay Guardian's attorney during a hearing designed to help the paper collect on its judgment against SF Weekly and its parent company, Village Voice Media. Earlier this year, a San Francisco Superior Court jury ruled in favor of the Bay Guardian, and the judge in the case set damages at $15.9 million. VVM announced last month that it plans to appeal the ruling.

Continue ReadingSF Weekly Publisher a Reticent Witness in Antitrust Case

In a move that was widely expected, SF Weekly and Village Voice Media have announced they will appeal San Francisco Superior Court Judge Marla Miller's ruling in favor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian in the predatory-pricing case. Miller rejected arguments last week to overturn or modify the jury's March verdict. Calling the suit "economic terrorism," VVM CEO Jim Larkin claims "mom-and-pop advertisers in San Francisco will suffer from [Judge Miller's] handiwork, as will any aggressive new business in the city that attempts to challenge a larger, established competitor."

Continue ReadingSF Weekly Will Appeal Ruling in Bay Guardian Case