Manhattan Media has named Blum editor-in-chief of New York Press as well as editorial director of the company's community newspaper group, the New York Times reports. When he starts the job Sept. 5, Blum's first task "will be to compete more vigorously with The Voice," where he served as editor for six months ending this March. "I want to make The Press as fresh and unpredictable as possible," he says. "I tried to do that at The Village Voice, but I didn't have enough time at The Voice to achieve the goals that I had at the paper. But here I will." In his interview with the Times, Blum also takes the opportunity to take a shot at his new competition and former employer for its out-of-town ownership. "I am excited to be working with a publisher and an owner who lives in New York, who knows the city extremely well," he says. "I think that will be a big plus for The Press -- and for me."
Referring to a recent issue of the Seattle alt-weekly, Utne Reader asks: "Who else but the Stranger would have a picture of a very pregnant-looking man in his underwear adorning their cover?" In its weekly rundown of highlights from the independent press, Utne says the cover is "merely one example of the many wonderful and strange offerings from the staff of this Seattle alt-weekly ... known for its palpable disdain for the mainstream, which lends it a unique (and often hilarious) voice."
The editor tells MediaBistro he's most proud of bringing "a newsier focus to the front of the book" and the addition of a metro column by Tom Robbins. Though the early '07 storyline painted the Voice as a newspaper rife with inner turmoil and conflict, Ortega says that wasn't what he saw when he arrived. "I didn't find tumult so much as a group of people wanting to end the distractions and simply put out a newspaper," he says. "Those first few weeks were busy, but almost right away we were focused on the things that matter, like developing good stories." He also says that he -- like others at the AAN Convention last month -- remains "cautiously optimistic" about the future of the alt-weekly. "The dailies, after all, are being told by consultants to go free, increase local coverage, and write with some attitude -- all things we're already doing," he says.
Despite vows by Willamette Week that they'd "beat the living shit" out of their cross-town rivals' softball team, the Merc prevailed for the second year in a row on Sunday, by a score of 11-8. "It was another great Sunday in the world of sports," writes the Mercury's Wm. Steven Humphrey. "The WW has really improved since last year, and made a strong showing with numerous hits and good fielding, but ultimately it was the surgical style of the Mercury that won the day." AAN members: we know that many of you have softball squads hitting the diamond this summer. Feel free to report successes, failures and box scores to jwhiten (at) aan.org.
The Mercury caused quite a stir when they organized a freelance janitorial crew Friday evening to put an end to a Rose Parade tradition: the "reserved" seat. In the City of Roses, people tape off sidewalk spots up to a week in advance of the annual parade, and, according to KOIN-TV, some were even selling their spaces on Craigslist. "If you go to the DMV or the bank, you don't get to tape your spot off in advance and then come back the next day," the Mercury's Matt Davis explains. "It's ridiculous." But as a local TV news reporter says, some folks "really don't care for the idea of messing with tradition." One inexplicably frightened bystander tells KATU-TV that the Merc's peaceful group of tape-and-chalk exterminators had her a little rattled: "It is quite interesting; kind of scary. I was worried for a second what might happen."
Megan Wennberg was named winner of the Greg Clark Award by the Canadian Journalism Foundation on Wednesday night. The award is "designed to offer working journalists a chance to gain insight and meet key decision-makers on their beats." Wennberg will spend some time with newsmakers in Iqaluit, Nunavut, where "she will gain insight into understanding the daily realities in Canada's north and be better equipped to tell stories" about that community.
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