Pittsburgh City Paper jumped on the chance to buy rival In Pittsburgh, says Publisher Michael Frischling. He promises City Paper will grow and improve now that the cross-town rival is gone. Meanwhile, few In Pittsburgh staffers have taken up City Paper's offer to interview.
The deal between Steel City Media and Review Publishing was announced to both staffs at 2 p.m. yesterday, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In a press release, Review calls the deal an asset sale, and President Anthony Clifton praises the In Pittsburgh staff but says he was forced to sell "because the paper has not become economically self-supporting." City Paper Editor Andy Newman, who previously edited his former crosstown rival, tells the Post-Gazette, "I have to say I felt very somber about it. There are people over there that we like and respect ... We know this is a contact sport but it is not good news when the other guy hits the mat."
Philadelphia City Paper emptied its newsroom Tuesday, sending reporters into the streets of Philly and to New York and Washington to report on the terrorist attacks. The conclusion: "nothing will ever be the same."
Across the country, alternative newsweeklies ditched their planned front pages as the awesome events of Tuesday unfolded. East Coast papers like The Village Voice and Washington City Paper are sharing stories and pictures with colleagues from Maine to California.