Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Devendra Banhart @ 9:30 Club
Last week the Washington City Paper unveiled a redesign featuring "more color and a new convenient size." Paper pushers were even out in force at several Metro stations pimping the new look. Once we got our hands on the issue though, these lofty promises fell a bit flat. Their Web site redesign early this year got our nod of approval, but after some thought the print edition has no such luck.
The paper certainly delivers on color, including new section headers and tinted insert boxes, but it's hard to see how this makes the paper more pleasant or useful. In addition, the publication's downsizing of approximately an inch of width, which we’re sure some brain trust determined would boost circulation, doesn't improve the user experience one way or the other -- really we hardly noticed the difference. The only noticeably cool addition is a weekly column by local rock legend Bob Mould where readers can "ask him anything." We can’t wait to see what questioners come up with -- perhaps the perfect recipe for paella or analysis of Earth's constant nuetrino bombardment.
Maybe the publication got caught up in redesign mania and slacked off on content, particularly in the cover story about alternative places to get your prayer on. To regular readers, the rainbow-colored pages profiling 12 spiritual centers bares a striking resemblance to the weekly profile of area churches that’s been a appearing in the City Paper for years. In fact, many of the facts are pulled from the bygone days of summer 2006. Could it be that the staff simply thumbed through their file and pulled the more interesting tidbits?
The welcome introduction of The Onion to the District puts new pressure on existing free weeklies to step up their game. More choice is always better for readers, but can dilute the influence of established outlets. So nice try, City Paper, but new fonts and hues only take you so far. Let us know what you think of the redesign in comments.
Photo by Flickr user Scott Ableman
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Don't hate
Are they using higher quality newsprint now? As much as I love having black fingertips mere seconds after handling the City Paper, it would be a fun change of pace not to experience once in awhile.
Now if they'll just freshen up the editorial staff.
They also touted the saddle-stitching, so it won't fall apart on you. That seemed sort of handy, but I haven't seen the new version yet.
it seemed to me like the newsprint has changed. don't know if it's better at holding ink (i'm no expert), but it seemed to be thinner stock. each page being slightly less thick made this week's paper seem significantly thinner overall.
Agree with D. The look of the book isn't the problem, it's what's in it. The cover story this week is an example of the lazy journalism the CP has practiced of late. Combine that with the sloppy copy editing and masturbatory reviews, and you've got an unreadable product.
Wemple must go.
Matt, as a verb, copyediting is closed up.
I've always marveled at how CP reviewers, be they music/film/arts, can use so many column inches and so much turgid, snarky verbage to tell you something sucks. It's kinda sad how much they try and emphasize their indie street cred by promoting stuff that's ridiculously obscure, like the kid who thinks he's popular because he can fill his mouth full of worms. And I think you're in trouble when the ads are more entertaining than the content. I mean, how can you top "Celebrity Pissmops: Volume 1?"
The new staples on the binder are a huge improvement. The old paper was too large and fell apart quickly...
The Church reviews are relatively new, aren't they. Didn't they replaced the old real estate reviews (which I liked much better by the way). Although, I have to say, overall the quality of the writing has sharply declined in last 6 to 8 months. And how many times in the last 6 months have they done a cover story just like this: i.e. a series of images or photos with snippets of text. There was the one on Adams Morgan, the one on the DC jail system, the one on pictures from U Street, the one on folk musicians in the area...and I'm sure there have been more I'm just not remembering
Since the City Paper is most often used to line birdcages, I hope that the new paper stock isn't any less absorbent. I think we're stuck with Erik Wemple for a while, since he couldn't hang in New York for even a week.
Okay, Andrew, next time I copyedit something, I'll close it up. But if I'm talking about the process of copy editing (a noun, albeit a verbal one), I'll keep it as two words.
It folds easier. That helps with the mechanics of reading in tight spaces, like on public transport or while sitting at crowded coffee bars.
I always love how the CityPaper tells me that, since I'm white, I'm not authentic enough and it's fun when people like me are mugged in a street-theater protest against yuppie gentrifying scum.
I left DC in 1990 to seek my fortune, & just returned 3 years ago; the City Paper I used to know is mostly still here (never a positive film review, misc.snarky, everything mentioned above) but it seems to have lost its bite...somehow. Can't put my finger on it....... AH! YES, I remember..... no more syndicated PS MUELLER cartoon on the back cover. Many times, that was the best thing in the issue.
The best thing by far about the redesign is the staples. Now, there will be no more loose City Paper pages blowing down my block from the bus stop. Stapling the City Paper will definitely help to keep the city cleaner. Now, if only we had a bottle return deposit!
I'll add my voice to those who say that it isn't the look but the content. CP just simply sucks. Format redesigns are like putting a fresh coat of paint on the ole barn---it doesn't hide the fact that you haven't shovelled out the horse stalls in years.
The worst part about it is, it wouldn't take much to improve the content of the CP, alot less effort than the redesign probably was. I can't imagine that with the amount of freelance talent in DC that the CP really has to scrape the bottom of the barrel for content as much as they seem to do.
My guess is the primary reason for all these changes is cutting costs -- money spent on newsprint is second only to payroll at any paper, and reducing the size uses less newsprint. So maybe some folks will like the color and that it's (marginally) easier to handle, but the changes boil down to one thing -- saving money. The City Paper is part of Village Voice Media now, and VVM powers that be control the finances. This is likely a corporate decision, something the City Paper staff had little control over beyond the execution.
With the city paper it has to be negitive !!! Every thing is always bad and that is good! right?
The internet killed most of what was valuable in the city paper, I used to look forward to Thursdays when the paper came out to see what concerts had been added to the 9:30, blackcat etc. Now the same info is updated on a daily basis, and i don't have to leave the house. And the comics just aren't funny anymore, except Red Meat, and that is where the internet comes in again.
I look at the Baltimore City Paper to see the potential that the DC version just misses out on. Why can't we have a real freebie paper like that? I couldn't care less about most of the stuff DCCP writes about.
And the comics got stupid years ago. Red Meat does make me smile though.
You can only go so far by dressing up a pig in lipstick. A redesign and a thousand new colors can't cover up the fact that the editorial content of the City Paper just sucks. David Carr and Jack Shafer are long gone. Erik Wemple is in charge, and the good writers have gone elsewhere... In the meantime, the Onion will prove more fair, balanced, and accurate.
Snark, snark, and more snark. More color, more hues, whatever, isn't the issue for CP. Sensible journalism is what is needed!
With the Onion in town, and with all the other free papers being given away for free too-- the Politico joining the Hill and the Current and whatever else-- they aren't even going to be able to give it way for free anymore. Who ever heard of a free paper, like the City Paper, needing hawkers???
I remember when I first came to town and Ken Cummins was writing Loose Lips and their music and arts were at the level of the best alt-weeklies in the country.... they should invest the money in editorial, rather than a redesign if they want to ever get back their street-cred.