Michael Sigman, president/publisher of LA/OC Weekly, announces that the papers have brought veteran advertising executives on board at the two Village Voice Media papers. Dar Brown has been named associate publisher/advertising for LA Weekly, and Melissa Fisher has been named advertising director for OC Weekly.
Peter Noel, formerly The Village Voice's only African-American news reporter, tells mediabistro.com he left the Voice because Editor Don Forst asked him to stop giving Rev. Al Sharpton so much ink. Noel allows that "Sharpton dominated [my coverage of the mayoral race] pretty much" but says he was giving the controversial preacher a voice at the Voice. Forst says that's "quite incorrect." Forst says Noel resigned because he objected to Forst's asking for attribution on quoted, but unnamed, sources.
