August 27, 2008
More Staff Cuts at the Washington City Paper
Word came down today that more staff cuts are coming for Washington City Paper. According to a newsroom insider, Creative Loafing—which acquired the City Paper along with the Chicago Reader alternative weekly in summer 2007, and proceeded to lay off many production and editorial staffers by the end of that year—told City Paper staff that they would need to cut the publication's budget by $170,000. City Paper ran a profit for 2007, apparently, but with the summer doldrums came a couple of bad months for advertising sales. The Loaf's line with its creditors is said to be so thin that even a somewhat foreseeable setback must result in staff cuts. UPDATE: City Paper Editor-in-Chief Erik Wemple confirms the cuts: "Like a lot of media companies, we are going through an exceptionally rough period, and indeed we are discussing how to cut expenses. I don't want to cite any figures at this point because we are trying our best as a company to minimize the impact. But yes, layoffs are part of the discussion."
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cue the gleeful laughing from the city paper haters in 3, 2, 1....
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Its sad to air their dirty laundry, but it would have leaked at some point anyway. Whether you like City paper or not, losing a job totally sucks. In this fierce market its almost inevitable to cut newspaper jobs - look at the Post for example.
I wish all involved good luck and will keep reading.
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Let's take a poll: Which staffer(s) would you most like to see fired?
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Very nice Boomhauer. Let the ignorant comments begin...
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Act as indignant as you want, but the cuts will get rid of some of the dead wood over there.
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they've already been cut to the bone, boomhauer, what the hell else do you want, everyone to lose their job?
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I'm just glad they got rid of that f***ing stupid Stinkfish cartoon. They could do no wrong after that.
Bring back Refrigerator Johnny!
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Please please lay off Amanda Hess. That is all.
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You can say what you want about the CP (I rarely read the print version), but this recent blog headline cracked me up:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/08/27/by-the-time-we-got-to-douchestock/
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Every other city in the world has a more interesting "alternative" (to what?) paper than WCP. Even Bal'more.
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imgoph:
Some ideas to cut costs:
Move more people to whatever arrangement Tim Carmen is on which I'm assuming is some sort of independent contractor arrangement.
Move out of their digs in Adams Morgan to someplace cheaper. Maybe they ought to move north to someplace like Georgia Ave.
Introduce a Survivor-style contest where people pay 10 cents a time to vote on which writers make it to the next month.
Put Jason Cherkis in the stocks and charge people money to throw tomatoes at him.
Four words: Angela Valdez calendar spread
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I don't wish harm on any of them, but I think it would be ironic if Valdez got laid off and could only find work doing PR for LNS.
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boomhauer: from what i understand, they're on their way out of adams morgan anyway, with their building being part of the proposed hotel that's going in up there.
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Crikey. How much deeper can they cut and still put out content?
Speaking form a logistical standpoint that pig out the door is going to be a nightmare.
(Says the guy waiting on 13 pages of content to lay out.)
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Every other city in the world has a more interesting "alternative" (to what?) paper than WCP. Even Bal'more.
Wrong! I'm living in the Fargo-Moorhead area until the end of the year and the local alt-weekly, the High Plains Reader is comparable in size and writing quality to my high school paper.
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To all the WCP haters out there. What, specifically, is it you find so distasteful about the WCP?
When I first moved back to Metro DC twelve years ago, I found the WCP a handy guide to some of the more interesting stuff going on in DC. Even in the last 3 or 4 years, I've found out about shows and events that I would have otherwise missed in the WCP.
It's not like I'm unabashedly in love with WCP. Like most WCP haters I find Jason Cherkis to be almost unbearably smug and self-satisfied with his own writing. But the guy seems to do his homework and writes with some real passion which, even though I tend to disagree with him, I admire on some level.
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Hillrat: Fluxgirl did say "city", whereas you sound like you are presently in an "area" which is quite different.
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I'm just glad they got rid of that f***ing stupid Stinkfish cartoon. They could do no wrong after that.
Just so you know: The City Paper stopped running Stinkfish because the illustrator died of heart failure.
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[puts away Stinkfish voodoo doll, backs away from drawer]
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@stmove
Allow me to clarify a bit about the lay of the land out here.
Fargo, ND is indeed a city; a small city, but a city nonetheless and the center of the Fargo-Moorhead area. Whereas Fargo is in North Dakota, Moorhead is in Minnesota but for all intents and purposes they are basically the same city. It would be akin to the distinction between Takoma, MD and Takoma Park.
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At least we know the Washington City Paper is better than what they use to line hamster cages in Fargo-Moorhead.
Look out, Oxnard Times Picayune and The Barstow Blade! There's a new snarky rag in town!
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The squeeze on Creative Loafing is coming from our Northern Virginia neighbors BIA Digital Partners . Creative Loafing then leans on CP, and there you are: more staff cuts.
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And to the other CP haters--particularly the ones who claim anything along the lines of "Every other city in the world has a more interesting 'alternative' (to what?) paper than WCP. Even Bal'more"--I'm curious as to what standard it is you use when comparing various alt-weeklies.
The industry standard is the Association of Alternative Weeklies' annual awards. If you're not familiar with the world of alt-weeklies, the AAN Awards are pretty much the Pulizters of the industry. And, as can be read in this blog entry, the Washington City Paper regularly cleans up in. Here's just a quick bit:
This is the 13th year for the AltWeekly Awards. Within the past 12, Washington City Paper has won 47 awards in the highest circulation categories, second only to the L.A. Weekly, which has won 61. Third-highest among largest-circ award-winners is City Pages (Twin Cities) at 28, according to the Association for Alternative Newsweeklies.
Just in 2008, the Washington City Paper won First Place for Arts Criticism, Second AND Third place in Feature Story (one of which, Dave Jamieson's "Letters From an Arsonist" also won a Livingston Award), Second Place in Editorial Layout, and Second Place in Blogging. This, of course, was during a year in which the paper was being bought out and layoffs were constantly looming. I don't really know who the CP's critics here on DCist are, but I do know who the people of AAN are--and I think I'm going to trust the latter's judgment when it comes to the quality of the content in the Washington City Paper.
So, where exactly does the Bal'more City Paper stack up? Well, they won Third Place in Photography.
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Baltimore City paper still runs Lulu Eightball.
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The truth hurts - city paper haters. DCAAN is highly respected and you can talk to them if you have a problem with the paper and its 'snarky' writers. Theres barely enough writers to hate on as it stands now.
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So if the City Paper's so goddamned wonderful, why are they losing money like a sieve? Maybe it's their stupid readership that can't fathom the richness and scope of their carefully wrought critiques of the latest tired, pooped-out piece of nonsense from Hollywood or the latest Wolfgang Puck wannabe.
The Washington Post wins a lot of Pulizers, too. So many that they had to give a couple back. Doesn't stop them from being a steaming pile of tired hackwork, recycling the same worn-out superlatives and faux-naif handwringing. There's always someone willing to wrap up a stale piece of cake and call it "edgy journalism." Doesn't mean we have to buy it though, as the declining readership of dead media attests to.
Sorry about that dangling modifier, but I really need to go to the bathroom. Damn you, Taco Bell 1lb Burrito!
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Well, call me tasteless, but I like the City Paper. This bums me out.
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The CP has gone down hill faster then a sailor on shore leave in Greece since it was bought.
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I go straight to ON TAP for all of my alternative DC musings, it's the ONLY place in town you can find the Bud Light Band of the Month.
The only thing bad about the CP is their music
section. The writers seem to be on a perpetual quest to illustrate their knowledge and appreciation of musical obscurities. Like that douchebag 'hipster' kid that works at every college radio station i have ever set foot in.
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it's been amazing to watch the paper get thinner and thinner. if you just look at the square footage in paper that is used each week, comparing now to a couple years ago, it's quite a decline
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Again, it's the same problem with the Washington Post trimming the size of their paper to save costs. Instead of getting rid of bad writing, they're getting rid of whitespace. I'd rather look at the whitespace than the latest jeremiad against commuters, or lamentations from the generational poverty crowd, demanding that the City do something about their inability to find work even though POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS ARE RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THEM PEEING IN THEIR FACES.
If you can't give me better writing, at least give me less crappy writing.
Or a gun. Because those hundred monkeys in my basement need better motivation, and this Lean Six Smegma stuff ain't cutting it.
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A real, respectable alt-weekly would have the dignity not to send its minions here to defend their paper. I feel sorry for the good writers working for the City Paper. Perhaps if CL would overhaul management over there on Champlain Street, things would get better. I have to wonder if CL realizes just how much the City Paper's editor uses their rag to play out personal vendettas against people.
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Just to provide any insight to those wondering why its getting thinner- a friend of mine who still works their (surprise) said that the paper was bought by CL- which was already in debt. So basically CL is at least 75% responsible for the slow demise. Cutting costs means trimming fat in the paper and emptying desks, has nothing to do with readership.
Buying City paper was a stupid move by CL- maybe the paper can be bought by someone who gives a sh**
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less City Paper, good? less paper saves trees! Seriously, aren't we all digital now anyway?
Hot tip to young writers: want experience? Write for free! I hear that the City Paper would love not to pay you.
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Just want to say thanks to those of you who support CP in its time of need.
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So if the City Paper's so goddamned wonderful, why are they losing money like a sieve?
You're kidding, right? Please tell me you don't need me to explain the separation between the editorial staff and the advertising staff. I'd love, as much as anyone else, to believe that good copy=financial success for any paper, but unfortunately that's not the way the industry works.
Advertising is what brings in the money, and--in a post-Craigslist world, where all of the $$$ from classified advertising has been lost to free online ads--a lot of that money isn't there any more. So, budgets get slashed, people get laid off, and the remaining staff has to pick up the slack while trying to maintain the same level of quality that they have in the past.
Sad to say it, but editorial awards aren't going to convince someone to pay $20 (or any amount of money) for a print ad to sell their 1999 Volkswagon when they could do it online for free.
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The only reason I even pick up City Paper is to check out what's on sale at the porno stores. Looks like "Backdoor to Bollywood XIV" is out, along with "I Banged My Best Friend's Mom VIII" which is a flagrant ripoff of "MILF and Cookies XXIII" right down to the use of borrowing Double-Stuff Oreos as a plot device.
Needless to say, I registered my complaint within minutes of finishing myself off with a gym sock.
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I was raised on Refrigerator Johnny.
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If you read the previous post MB - you would see that it doesn't have so much to with the cost of advertising as it has to do with the owners (creative loafing) owing hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions. Its debt based in Atlanta, not debt in DC or that the paper itself acquired. The profits actually have been going up- except for some unfortunate summer months, but not enough to keep away debt collectors.
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I'm the paper's editor. We have gone through a few rounds of cuts already, and our office has large spaces in between editors and reporters. Even so, we've tried to continue providing heavily reported news and features on the District and top-shelf criticism. Whether we're succeeding or not is for you folks to judge. As MB DC says, we've gotten some credit from contest judges in the past, but what matters most is everyday readers. All I can say is thanks to everyone who's commented here. Because whether you like or hate the product, you show familiarity with what we do. That means you've picked up the thing or read us on the Web. At City Paper, we love our haters.
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All I can say is thanks to everyone who's commented here. Because whether you like or hate the product, you show familiarity with what we do. That means you've picked up the thing or read us on the Web. At City Paper, we love our haters.
Whomp there it is! Washington City Paper: loved or hated, but rarely ignored. I know I'm looking forward to picking up a copy the first Thursday I'm back in DC.
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Anyone who thinks the Washington City Paper is crap is either jealous, a disgruntled former employee, someone who has been nailed to the wall by C.P. journalism, a public relations idiot for the Washington Post or merely someone with no actual life who finds joy in other's sadness. Much less the balls to say any of the negative comments above to the faces of any of the employees at C.P. now potentially facing unemployment. The Washington City Paper is one of the best alternative weeklies around. And C.P. is witty, humorous but never afraid to speak the harsh truth or make fun of themselves. I hope and pray that C.P. survives this period and continues to show some sign of life outside all the other plastic journalism in and around the district.
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And C.P. is witty, humorous but never afraid to speak the harsh truth or make fun of themselves.
So it's okay for City Paper staff to admit they wouldn't know litotes if it stood on a table and peed in their faces, but god forbid their readership do the same?
Anyone seriously considering a career in alt journalism would do well to look into another, more lucrative career path. Like, say, running a forclosure bus service or even scrimshaw. I hear the market for authentic antebellum cock rings is booming among geriatric viagra enthusiasts and Melville fans.
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Anyone who thinks the Washington City Paper is crap is . . . someone who has been nailed to the wall by C.P. journalism
Like a 17 year-old high school baseball player? Running a cover story hit piece on a high school kid was a questionable editorial decision at best.
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Erik Wemple,
My main complaint is the lack of theater reviews of the smaller theater companies that do cutting edge material.
Do more theater reviews of the smaller houses, like Rorschach Theater and Solas Nua. Arena, Shakespeare Theater and touring productions of "The Lion King" , whose bright idea was it to have Trey review that???, don't seem to be in of interest to the people who read CP. I can read those in the Post. Give me something else.
Let Trey Graham write more and longer reviews. He is in my opinion one of the finest critics in area. I may not always agree with him but his reviews are well thought out and well written.
Fire who ever is editing Trey's reviews down to a paragraph.
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Thanks for posting, Eric
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Well put, Wemple! Also, doubleplus love from Baltimore for those who Hate on The Baltimore.
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Most of you who have posted here have no idea what a fine paper CP was. It's easy to bitch about a cover story you didn't like... or a columnist you think sucks... or a cartoon you don't think is funny. But I've worked for a 100 altweeklies and this one was one of the very best, front to back, week to week, year to year. And you know what? When it's gone, or cut to nothing, the city will be the lesser for it.
I was a longtime contributer to CP, over 15 years, until Creative Loafing bought it, laid off half the staff and gutted it like a fish. Why would a media company purchase a fine paper and then destroy it in a matter of months? Your guess is as good as mine!
Newspapers, both weekly and daily, seemingly have a death wish. And once they start closing, which ain't far off, our democracy is screwed. Once our watchdog press is comprised of guys writing blogs in their moms' basements and (ha!) tv news, government, especially state and local government, will be free to do whatever they damn well want.
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derfcity,
I fully understand what a great paper CP use to be and have watched in amazement over the past year as the new owners have destroyed it.
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My main point is that CP, like Washington Post, used to be a decent paper. Now they're not. In both cases, coverage of local news has gone way downhill, and the quality of the writing itself mediocre bordering on shoddy. I can't tell whether it's the fault of the editors or the writers and really, I have a hard time caring. It's pretty sad when what's supposed to be the product of professional career journalists reads like pabulum. And it's not helping when freaking blogs have more in-depth and more readable coverage of neighborhood issues. But maybe if they'd stop writing like a bunch of lofty horses asses pontificating on matters of burning import, maybe locals might start caring. Maybe!
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Yeah it would suck to read the pontifications of a horse's ass.
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Depends on the horse, really. I wouldn't mind hearing Shadowfax talk smack about Gandalf after a few ales.
Then there's bitchy CP apologists who pee in peoples faces and tell them its raining.