Seattle Weekly reported Monday that the federal government will not intervene in the merger of its parent company, Village Voice Media, and New Times Media, LLC. The Federal Trade Commission posted a routine notice last Wednesday listing the merger among proposed deals that neither the FTC's Bureau of Competition nor the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice would challenge. Thus, the Weekly said, the way is clear "for the two companies to become one as soon as paperwork is complete." The Weekly also quoted an e-mail message to staff from Village Voice Media CEO David Schneiderman, in which he said, "the work on integrating the two companies will accelerate, but we will still be functioning as separate entities until the closing." The Village Voice ran its own story later in the day.

Continue ReadingFTC Won’t Block New Times-Village Voice Merger

TheSmokingGun.com has posted the July 15 letter that former Voice writer Richard Goldstein received from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in response to his discrimination complaint. In stiff language, the letter provides some details of the Village Voice Media's defense against the charges of sexual harassment and age discrimination before stating that the EEOC was "unable to conclude that the information establishes violations of statutes." The letter also warns Goldstein that he "may only pursue this matter by filing suite (sic)" within 90 days, which he did on Oct. 12. The 14-page complaint that Goldstein filed in court is also posted on the Smoking Gun Web site.

Continue ReadingNew Information in Sexual Harassment Suit Against the Village Voice