When Daniel Brook read that the Philadelphia school district was recruiting teachers from India, he noticed something no other reporter in Philly felt was worth pursuing—they wouldn't be members of the teachers' union. “It seemed like a situation ripe for exploitation (in hindsight, a very good hunch),” Brook tells AAN News. Brook interviewed the teachers after they had been in Philadelphia a while and got an earful: problems with debt, health insurance, wages, and working conditions. The dailies reported that there were Indian teachers in Philadelphia, but their plight was a Philadelphia City Paper exclusive.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the advertising market continues to slacken, with revenue in October and November falling even faster than it did in September, according to estimates from publishers and analysts. Merrill Lynch says newspaper advertising suffered an 11.5% decline in October, with help-wanted ads down as much as 50% at some papers.
Seattle Weekly Publisher Alisa Cromer has resigned, citing disagreements with Village Voice Media management about how the paper should be run. VVM CEO David Schneiderman tells AAN News Cromer's resignation "did not have to do with any financial, budgetary, or personnel issues." The shake-up means Schneiderman will spend time out West to oversee Seattle Weekly and LA Weekly, while Group Publisher Albie Del Favero will concentrate on papers in Minneapolis, Cleveland and Nashville.
Washington City Paper is getting great resumes for Howard Witt's old editor's job, and for sales positions, because of media layoffs, says Jane Levine, CEO of City Paper's parent, Chicago Reader Inc. Levine tells the Washington Business Journal: "It's a great time to be hiring. There aren't many silver linings to the clouds that are out there, but this is one of them."
