The bare-knuckled battle between Seattle Weekly and The Stranger in the land of Starbucks is laid bare by Seattle Post-Intelligencer writer John Marshall. He looks into whether two alt-weeklies can survive in a city the size of Seattle and whether the Stranger's "performance-art" journalistic style can knock out the more upscale, serious Weekly.
Jill Mogen, advertising director of the Seattle Weekly, has left her position, David Schneiderman, CEO of Village Voice Media, says. Mogen had been at the newspaper for more than 11 years and was the first president of the Alternative Weekly Network in 1996-97. It is the second management shakeup at a West Coast VVM paper this month and follows Alisa Cromer's resignation as publisher of Seattle Weekly in November. Schneiderman has said he wants to spend more time personally managing Seattle Weekly and LA/OC Weekly. Cromer is now with Metro Newspapers on an interim basis.
Village Voice Media names Dana Faust associate publisher/sales and marketing at Seattle Weekly. Faust has 18 years experience in display and classified advertising at The New York Times.
Seattle Weekly Publisher Alisa Cromer has resigned, citing disagreements with Village Voice Media management about how the paper should be run. VVM CEO David Schneiderman tells AAN News Cromer's resignation "did not have to do with any financial, budgetary, or personnel issues." The shake-up means Schneiderman will spend time out West to oversee Seattle Weekly and LA Weekly, while Group Publisher Albie Del Favero will concentrate on papers in Minneapolis, Cleveland and Nashville.
A photo of the marquee of a local nudie bar ("Breast of Seattle") graces the covers this week of both Seattle Weekly and The Stranger. For the Weekly, the photo illustrates the paper's annual "Best of Seattle" reader survey; for The Stranger, it fronts for "the Best of Kevin Jones' Apartment." Weekly publisher Alisa Cromer tells the Seattle Times, "It's like having an annoying younger brother repeating everything you say."
