In 1977, Johns Hopkins University graduates Russ Smith (who later founded New York Press) and Alan Hirsch launched the first issue of City Squeeze. "Despite the dreadful name (soon changed to its current handle) and shoestring origins, it quickly established itself as the house organ of Baltimore's demimonde as well as a feisty elbow-thrower in the local media scrum," says current editor Lee Gardner in this week’s cover intro. The issue features several stories from the archives, including a 1979 examination of Charm City's political bosses by Black Hawk Down author Mark Bowden, a 1984 interview with child molester Arthur Goode by Hairspray filmmaker John Waters, and a selection of photography by long-time contributor Jennifer Bishop. Online readers can also check out the first year of City Squeeze issues in a PDF gallery. "As for the future of City Paper, well, there’s another issue to get out next week, and another the week after that, and I believe that the paper offers something distinctive enough that the demand for it will endure for weeks and weeks and weeks to come," writes Gardner.
"We've received so many overtures over the years and they’ve never come to pass," Bob Roth tells Reader media critic Michael Miner. "[But] we got a better offer than I expected." Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason tells the Washington Post it was an "eight-figure sale" and that he tried to buy the Reader's minority stakes in the Stranger, the Portland Mercury and the Amsterdam Weekly, but that Roth wouldn't sell. Miner tells the Chicago Tribune that the Reader staff is "discombobulated" at the moment. "This has been a very insular paper," Miner says. "We've seen other papers buffeted by change that hasn't affected us until now." Miner also reports that Reader publisher Mike Crystal and editor Alison True will remain with the paper, but production will be moved to Atlanta, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times. Production of City Paper will also be moved to Atlanta, where all four of Creative Loafing's papers are currently produced. Back in Washington, editor Erik Wemple says that budget cuts that had already begun will continue, but "there's no fat in our newsroom that I can identify and so this is difficult process. I refuse to pay freelancers less money, and so we'll have to get terribly, terribly creative." MORE COVERAGE: Forbes; Crain's; St. Petersburg Times; Chicago Public Radio.
Started as City Squeeze by Russ Smith and Alan Hirsch in 1977, the alt-weekly has "evolved from monthly to bi-weekly to weekly, switched back and forth between free distribution and paid distribution before finally settling on free distribution as it is today," according to a press release. A special 30th anniversary issue will hit the streets of Baltimore Aug. 1.
Kim Dorn, Sara Dick, and Liz Eckstein tell Nest in a Q&A that the idea for City Paper's annual craft fair, which celebrates its fourth anniversary this year, originated in the heart of the classifieds section. "Through our free ads, we create a community marketplace where people can sell goods and services directly to each other. ... We had been tossing around the idea of hosting a big citywide yard sale," they say. "In the spring of 2004, the indie craft movement was just getting its legs and we decided it made more sense to do an arts-focused event. ... [Publisher Amy Austin] is a huge supporter of the arts and theatre and pretty much gave us free reign."
Washington City Paper's Pete Morelewicz and his wife Christine Henry have decided to close their collection of squished pennies to the public after running it out of the front hallway of their home for 11 years, the Washington Post reports. "We started to get so many visitors that we were overwhelmed," Morelewicz says. "We didn't have enough time to accommodate everyone who wanted to visit us. And that was really tough for them as well as for us, because we wanted to make people happy."
Charlie Deitch received the Ray Sprigle Memorial Award, a "best in show" award, for his coverage of gambling in Pennsylvania. The alt-weekly also placed first in six categories (Business; Continuing Coverage; Criticism; Cultural; Enterprise/Investigative Article; Science, Health & Technology), and had finalists in three additional categories. The awards, given by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, were announced last night.
As expected, American Community Newspapers LLC announced yesterday that it has purchased the publishing and printing assets of CM Media, Inc. In addition to the Columbus alt-weekly, the Texas-based American Community Newspapers will take over CM's community papers, magazines and printing facility. "Our decision to sell the company was a difficult one, but we believe that (ACM president) Gene (Smith) and American Community Newspapers will continue our tradition of providing Central Ohio with quality journalism," says CM president and Other Paper publisher Max Brown.
CM Media Inc. is expected to be sold to Dallas-based American Community Newspapers LLC today, according to Business First. CM founder Max Brown reportedly informed employees of the sale yesterday afternoon with a letter. In addition to owning The Other Paper, CM owns over 20 other publications and a printing facility. American Community Newspapers currently publishes 64 newspapers across the country, according to Business First.
Despite MediaBistro's speculation that the hawkers were sent out in response to the recent D.C. launch of The Onion, City Paper staffers were just helping to promote the redesign yesterday as they braved chilly temperatures to hand out free papers. On the City Paper's blog, reporter Jonathan York notes his lack of preparation compared to the hawkers of free dailies the Washington Examiner and Express. "These guys were pros," he says. "As the wind brought snowflakes, my hands were bare, and Messrs. Examiner and Express wore gloves."
Bob Mould, best known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter for the indie bands Hüsker Dü and Sugar, will answer reader questions on "music, cooking, travel, politics, religion, neighborhoods, sociology and more" in a column appropriately called "Ask Bob Mould," according to City Paper. Arts editor Mark Athitakis tells AAN News the idea "was kicking around for a while here at the office" and that the column will run "on the opening spread of the arts section."
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