The City Council of West Haven voted unanimously in favor of Councilwoman Gail Burns' proposal to limit how many news boxes can go on a block, and it was signed into law earlier this month. When space is an issue, "dailies get first dibs, then twice-weeklies, then weeklies and so on," according to the Advocate. The law seems to have been thought up, drafted and passed in haste, as Burns tells the Advocate no one did an inventory of the boxes, and no one bothered to notify any of publishers before the law was passed. "Anyone can attend a public hearing," Burns says. The law "flies in the face of the First Amendment," Advocate publisher Joshua Mamis says. "Plus, the prioritization is puzzling. Why would the town give preferential treatment to a publication owned by an out-of-state company that has over the years reduced its commitment to local news gathering?"

Continue ReadingRecently Passed News Box Legislation in Connecticut Favors Dailies

Member papers that register for the AAN convention in Portland are eligible to receive up to two free registrations, courtesy of the AAN CAN classified program that makes this association run. Take advantage of this AAN CAN-inspired largesse by registering three people for the price of two, or five people for the price of three. And to save even more money, don't forget to sign up by May 4 for the early-registration discount. You can register online or download a registration form on the convention website.

Continue ReadingSuch a Deal! Three for Two, or Five for Three

Diane Lieberman, who was most recently publisher of AAN member Worcester Magazine, will manage the online publications HPCwire and GRIDtoday and work on new product development for Tabor, according to a press release. Allen Fletcher, principal owner of Worcester Magazine's parent company, moved back into the publisher's chair earlier this month after the company sold its three business magazines.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weekly Publisher Named VP and Publisher at Tabor Publications

The newly minted Pulitzer-winning LA Weekly food critic talks process with On the Media's Brooke Gladstone, saying he doesn't take notes and shies away from fancy food vocabulary and Latinate synonyms. "It must be said that there is only one word that means 'salty,' and if you try to get beyond something being salty -- you know, briny or oceanic -- you're overwriting, and the prose suffers," Gold says. Noting Gold's "intense" devotion to meat, Gladstone asks the critic if he receives letters from vegans demanding equal time. "Yeah, I get letters from vegans, usually more in sorrow than in anger," he says, adding that he also gets a lot of letters from Jewish people complaining that he writes "an awful lot about pork." Over a meal of huaraches with a succulent beef brain and more, Gold tells the Washington Post's William Booth he's eaten at somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 restaurants in LA, and that he finds new haunts by scouring ethnic newspapers. "I don't understand a word of it, but they list an address and I go," he says.

Continue ReadingJonathan Gold Continues His Post-Pulitzer Press Rounds

The Society of Professional Journalists named their finalists yesterday, and AAN papers received seven nominations, including clean sweeps of the weekly news and features categories. Miami New Times and New Times Broward-Palm Beach lead the pack with two nominations, while Creative Loafing (Charlotte), the Memphis Flyer and the Nashville Scene each garnered one. The awards, which honor journalistic excellence in 11 southeastern states, will be announced May 5 in Nashville.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weeklies Well-Represented in Green Eyeshade Award Nominations