Philadelphia City Paper's Howard Altman lets The Inquirer's Tony Ridder have it right between the eyes. the daily is laying off editorial staff due to financial woes. Altman gives Ridder some advice on surviving a downturn –– ditch the focus groups, concentrate on the city not the 'burbs, bring the reporters back when times improve and don't abandon foreign reporting.
Philadelphia City Paper celebrates its 20th anniversary this week with a big paper and a big party. In those two decades, the paper has had only two owners. Editor David Warner says one spent "15 years squeezing a nickel until the buffalo turned blue," and both preserved the integrity of the news against incursions from the advertising side.
