July 24, 2007
Washington City Paper Sold to Creative Loafing
Via Editor & Publisher, the Washington City Paper, along with the Chicago Reader, which the City Paper owns, has been sold to Atlanta-based company Creative Loafing, publisher of four other alternative weeklies in Atlanta, Tampa, Sarasota, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C. The City Paper name will remain in place, despite the other four papers all carrying the "Creative Loafing" name.
In a post to the City Paper's staff blog, City Desk, Senior Editor Mike DeBonis said the editorial leadership of the publication would remain in place, under the control of publisher Amy Austin and editor Erik Wemple. However "certain financial, technology, and production operations will be shifted to Creative Loafing offices in Atlanta and Tampa," which we've heard will definitely include art production, meaning the likely loss of art director Pete Morelewicz, who led the recent redesign of the City Paper, and the rest of his team. No doubt Austin and Wemple will fight hard to keep Morelewicz, but if faced with a choice between moving to Tampa or moving on to a new publication, we can probably guess which way he'll go. DeBonis also said that Wemple has indicated that the editorial budget is likely to be cut in the coming months to bring expenses in line with other alternative weeklies.
The sale will give Creative Loafing a reported combined weekly circulation of about half a million, and falls in line with other recent alternative weekly consolidation over the past few years, notably the merger of Village Voice Media and New Times Media. Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason was quoted as saying that by concentrating certain aspects of production for all six of his titles, the newspapers can remain competitive.
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Bummer. I really like the new City Paper design. Staples? Yeah, staples. What?
Will this make the City Paper suck a little less?
The City Paper is really fucked now.
I think we have all learned a valuble lession here, these type of things happen when you mess with LNS! These powerful, well connected do-gooders had to be behind this.
Hopefully they will keep some of the columns like Loose Lips, etc. As much as I hate the city paper, Creative Loafing is probably on the journalistic level of OnTap.
Seriously! Look at the connections between LNS and Creative Loafing, and you will see connections between the board members and certain fathers of people in LNS. City Paper is too much of an investment to just let it slowly collapse, but goodbye alternative news!! Give it maybe 5 years, but we'll start seeing important editorial shifts ASAP.
Washington City Paper taken over by Atlanta aliens the same day the Weekly World News ceases publication. Coincidence?
Great, another budget cut. Does this mean more "features" that are 50% white space, 40% pictures and 10% text?
Does this spell the end of Jason Cherkis's horrible reign at the City Paper?
I sure hope so.
morelewicz is the guy who lives in ledroit and ran the just-closed squished penny museum, right? i guess you're saying "we can probably guess which way he'll go" means he'll be staying in town regardless, right?
"Washington City Paper taken over by Atlanta aliens the same day the Weekly World News ceases publication. Coincidence?"
Priceless comment. Thanks.
I know it's silly to post about this online, but does anyone still read the City Paper anymore? Jason Cherkis is a horrible horrible writer. They published that one jerk's screed against Fugazi and after that I stopped reading it. I mean, really, as long as Jerkis is there, the journalism level is sub-Examiner.
Thankfully we have The Onion now.
What??!! The Weekly World News is shut down? This is horrible...
I just clicked thru to the CL website, and they have a huge honkin' banner ad for the Conservative Book Club emblazoned across the top of the page. Not a very encouraging sign, but about in line with seemingly anything that comes out of Florida.
All you hipsters better watch out. LNS took down the City Paper. You are next.
washington city paper was owned by the chicago reader, not the other way around, dcist. please fact check!!!
oh well, guess it doesn't matter now.
Relax! Having lived in Charlotte and Atlanta, Creative Loafing are fine; in fact, they're a little more interesting than the current City Paper. I don't understand how a conservative banner would appear---the Loaf's commentators are predominantly left of center. The Don't Panic columnist is especially good.
This consolidation will only help City Paper survive and besides, with DCist (an offshoot of NY-based Gothamist) and other outlets, there's no shortage of alternative local reading material.