Tales From A Promiscuous Labor Pool
Autumn is here, and so is a new batch of AAN Nation employment changes. Alt-weekly employees were busy this summer:
- In June, longtime Arkansas Times editor Max Brantley stepped down. He continues to write for the publication, and was replaced by Lindsey Millar, who was previously the paper’s lifestyle editor. This week, reporter Gerard Matthews left the paper in order to take the position of development director at a nonprofit that provides assistance to those with developmental disabilities.
- Longtime Baltimore City Paper publisher Don Farley departed to become regional general manager of Times-Shamrock. In mid-August, he was replaced by Jennifer Marsh, who was formerly Times-Shamrock’s general sales manager.
- Birmingham Weekly editor Sam George resigned and accused the paper of not compensating its writers.
- Creative Loafing (Atlanta) filled Mara Shalhoup’s shoes last week when it named Mark Celeste as editor.
- Creative Loafing (Charlotte) editor Carlton Hargro departed and has been replaced by Mark Kemp, who is returning for a second stint as editor there.
- Last week, JH Weekly announced the hire of Richard Abowitz as editor. Abowitz has previously served as an editor* at Las Vegas Weekly.
- In June, Ben Westhoff became music editor at L.A. Weekly. Westhoff had previously written for the Village Voice and Riverfront Times, where he was also a writing fellow.
- LEO Weekly city reporter Jonathan Meador left to work at sister publication Nashville Scene. Replacing Meador is blogger Joe Sonka.
- In July, the Tribune Company laid off three New Mass. Media employees, including group publisher Joshua Mamis.
- The New York Press lost editor Jerry Portwood and entertainment editor Adam Rathe in July. Portwood is now managing editor of Out magazine and Rathe writes for the New York Daily News. The New York Press officially closed last month.
- Portland Mercury music editor Ezra Ace Caraeff has left to forge a new career – he’s starting up a bar named Old Gold. Earlier this summer, the paper’s art director Justin “Scrappers” Morrison hopped across the Pacific and is now at Maui Time, where he replaced Chris Skiles who left for Seattle Met.
- The San Fransisco Bay Guardian laid off nearly a quarter of its editorial staff in July, including veteran reporter Sarah Phelan.
- Santa Barbara Independent sales manager Tom Morey retired this week after 22 years with the paper.
- Texas Observer editor Bob Moser left to become executive editor of The American Prospect.
- This week, citing economic troubles, Village Voice Media let go a slew of employees. SF Weekly was the hardest hit, losing four staffers.
- Award-winning Westword reporter Joel Warner has departed to co-launch humorcode.com, a global expedition to discover what makes things funny. Kelsey Whipple, who previously interned at Riverfront Times, replaces him.
- And the author of this post, Jacqueline Drayer, is now an editorial intern at AAN.
Have updates for The Shuffle? Send them to editor[at]aan.org.
* A previous version of this story referred to Richard Abowitz as the former editor of Las Vegas Weekly. Abowitz was a former features editor, not the editor.
