The New York Times is reporting that the long-rumored deal will finally be announced on Monday. The merged company will be called Village Voice Media, and 62 percent of it will be owned by New Times' current shareholders. The Times says the merger "will undoubtedly raise questions about whether The Voice and its siblings can preserve their anti-establishment roots as part of a growing corporation." But New Times' Jim Larkin says, "I'm doing it because I love good journalism. I want to have newspapers in the most exciting markets in the country. This is not a financial play." Larkin also says he and his partners expect to buy out VVM's financial backers in five years.

Continue ReadingNew Times to Acquire Village Voice Media

The Oct. 19 issue spotlights the newspaper's past, from top stories to the "massive rhetorical demolition derby" of letters to the editor. Sarah Klein describes the "strange characters" who have staffed the office, W. Kim Heron provides updates on where some of those characters have gone, and in the editor's column, Ric Bohy and the present staff reflect on the aims of the Metro Times and the importance of alternative journalism. A special pullout section featuring artists' interpretations of the Metro Times is available as a PDF.

Continue ReadingDetroit’s Metro Times Celebrates 25 Years with Special Issue

The National Association of Black Journalists announced the winners of its Salute to Excellence Awards competition this weekend in Washington, D.C. The organization handed out six first-place prizes for newspapers with circulations of 150,000 or less, and every last one of them were awarded to New Times papers. Here's the complete list of NABJ award winners.

Continue ReadingNew Times Newspapers Dominate NABJ Awards