The Springfield, Ill., alt-weekly last week debuted a new-look paper with larger pages and stich-and-trim binding. Times publisher Sharon Whalen says Topaz Design consulted on the project, but the Times design staff had a major hand in the redesign as well.

Continue ReadingIllinois Times Unveils Redesign

AAN's Diversity Committee recently elected to expand the Diversity Grant Program to cover diversity-related projects as well as interns. AAN members may apply for one of the four $1,250 grants to hire an intern, or to support an editorial project that demonstrably serves people of color in that paper's market. Grant applications, which can be downloaded here, are due to the AAN office by Jan. 9. AAN News recently caught up with Diversity Chair Donna Ladd to chat a little more about the program. Click through to read more.

Continue Reading2009 Diversity Grant Applications Now Available

Burst Media surveyed more than 4,000 web users in order to better understand how clutter impacts their experience and perception of advertisers. 75.5 percent of the respondents who remain on a site they perceive to be cluttered said they pay less attention to ads appearing on its pages. Nearly 30 percent of those surveyed said they leave a site immediately if they perceive it to be cluttered.

Continue ReadingStudy: Online Ad Clutter Hurts Ad Effectiveness

That's what sources tell Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy about the first court date of the company's bankruptcy protection hearings. Next week, CL CEO Ben Eason has to submit his restructuring plan, which will then be discussed in court. In other CL-related news, The Sunday Paper's publisher and investor answer some questions about that paper's proposed expansion into two more CL cities (Charlotte and Tampa).

Continue ReadingCreative Loafing’s Day in Court ‘Was Pretty Humdrum’