AAN News
The East Bay Express Launches a New Beer and Live Music Venue
The Oakland-based alt-weekly is sticking its toe into the beer and entertainment business with the launch of EBX Bleeding Heart Lager and Club X. The lager is brewed by the local Linden Street Brewery, and all of the proceeds will go to local nonprofits of the Express' choice. The venue is on the first floor of the Express' office building, and will book all-ages shows in a partnership with the Oakland Metro Operahouse.
(FULL STORY)
East Bay Express Press Release |
12-18-2009 4:29 pm |
Press Releases
East Bay Express Hosting Office Tour Prior to AAN West Conference
On Friday, Jan. 29 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, the East Bay Express will host a tour of its office in Oakland before the AAN West conference gets rolling later that day, walking attendees through the paper's production process as a way to start a discussion about creating an accurate and efficient operation.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
12-14-2009 2:14 pm |
Association News
AAN West Schedule and Hotel Accommodations All Set
After a one-year absence, AAN West is returning to the Bay Area this winter. The conference will be held on Jan. 29 and 30 in Berkeley immediately after the Web Publishing Conference in San Francisco. The conference website is now live, and it has all the info you need on programming, hotels and registration.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
12-08-2009 4:31 pm |
Association News
Update on the Executive Director Search
On Nov. 20, AAN officially stopped accepting applications for the executive director position. Since then, the Executive
Committee has narrowed a list of more than 75 candidates to a group of
eight individuals. At the same time, the committee created a Hiring Committee to oversee the rest of the process; this newly formed
committee's first task will be further winnowing the group of eight
down to a smaller group of finalists,
who will then be invited to AAN headquarters in Washington, D.C. for
interviews.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
12-04-2009 11:46 am |
Association News
Weekly Alibi Goes Local for Gift Guide
Albuquerque's Weekly Alibi took a novel approach to the grind of holiday gift guides afflicting most alt-weeklies this time of year, interviewing local crafters and folks with fledgling cottage industries, most of them undiscovered in their own hometown, in an attempt to translate the locavore movement to holiday shopping. Check out the package here.
(FULL STORY)
Weekly Alibi Press Release |
12-01-2009 8:59 am |
Press Releases
Registration for Web Publishing and AAN West Conferences Now Open
After a one-year absence, both AAN West and the Web Publishing Conference are returning to the Bay Area this winter. The Web Publishing Conference will take place Jan. 27-29 at the Argonaut Hotel near San Francisco's famed Fisherman's Wharf, and AAN West will happen Jan. 29-30 across the bay in Berkeley.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
11-23-2009 9:16 pm |
Association News
Boise Weekly Cover Auction Nets Record Proceedsnew
The Weekly's eighth annual Cover Art Auction, which took place this Wednesday, was its most successful yet, grossing more than $15,000. "Once we've paid the bill for framing every piece, we expect to put more than $12,000 into Boise Weekly's private art grant, for which any local artist or organization is eligible to apply," editor Rachael Daigle writes. "That's roughly $800 more than we've ever put back into the art community."
Boise Weekly |
11-20-2009 10:05 am |
Industry News
Creative Loafing (Tampa) Sells Cover, Editorial Space in Holiday Auctionnew

Like several other alt-weeklies, Creative Loafing (Tampa) has put together a holiday auction to raise funds for a local nonprofit, but with a new twist: Cover space, a news story and a restaurant review in the paper are among the items up for bid. "This is our way of saying 'This is not how we do business,'" editor David Warner tells the St. Petersburg Times. "Just this once, you'll see what you get if our content actually is for sale. It's ironic, unchartered (sic) territory."
Creative Loafing (Tampa) | St. Petersburg Times |
11-19-2009 9:23 am |
Industry News
FTC Urged To Clamp Down On Data Collection Onlinenew
Online Media Daily |
11-12-2009 8:39 am |
Industry News
Alt-Weekly Staffers Curate Local Compilations for LimeWirenew
Music writers and editors at the Nashville Scene and Willamette Week have put together compilation albums of their respective local scenes as part of LimeWire's "Ear to the Ground" series. "There's lots of talk these days about localism being dead, but these kinds of collections remind listeners that geography still has a lot to do with an artists' sounds and aesthetics," WW music editor Casey Jarman says. "Ear to the Ground compilations are fantastic primers, and we think this is a pretty amazing primer for Portland music." Nashville Scene music editor Steve Haruch adds: "Any time we have a chance to get the word out to a wider audience about what's going on here, we jump at it." These two papers join fellow alts like Boston's Weekly Dig, Flagpole, Metro Times, and Philadelphia City Paper, all of which have previously curated discs for LimeWire. (The free digital downloads are all available here.)
LimeWire Press Release (via AntiMusic.com) |
11-06-2009 10:19 am |
Industry News
AAN Begins Search for New Executive Director
As we announced on Monday, AAN's longtime executive director, Richard Karpel, is stepping down to take the same position at the American Society of News Editors. AAN has placed ads to find his successor on four websites and has received more than 20 applications thus far. The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors will do an initial screening of the candidates later this month; after this is complete, President Mark Zusman will appoint a separate committee that will likely meet and interview the finalists and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
10-30-2009 9:24 am |
Association News
AAN's Executive Director Stepping Down
Richard Karpel, who joined the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies as its executive director in July 1995, is leaving AAN for the same position at the American Society of News Editors. His last day will be Nov. 25, although he has agreed to help the association in an unofficial capacity after that date to assist in the transition to a new staff chief executive. "I have been at AAN for the better part of my adult life, and it has been an incredible ride," he says. "I want to thank all of the AAN members past and present who have made my time here such a rich and rewarding experience." MORE: Here's ASNE's announcement.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
10-26-2009 1:14 pm |
Association News
NOW Magazine Creates Hybrid Documentary/Mockumentary About Itselfnew
The Toronto alt-weekly last week debuted NOW Magazine: The Movie, a nine-week web film series that simultaneously chronicles the paper's history and makes fun of it in the mockumentary style. In the movie, a fictional theater troupe is commissioned by NOW CEO Alice Klein to create a musical about the paper on the heels of its 25th anniversary in 2006, with that plot intertwined with archive footage from NOW's real-life history. "It is actually truly funny, and one of the only ways you can achieve that is to be prepared to take the piss out of yourself," editor and publisher Michael Hollett says. "It's entertaining, but at the same time there is real information that emerges about our history, which is a pretty proud one." The five-minute episodes, directed by Second City alum Brian G. Smith, will all be released on the NOW Magazine: The Movie microsite. You can check out the trailer below.
NOW Magazine - The Trailer from NOW Magazine on Vimeo.
NOW Magazine - The Trailer from NOW Magazine on Vimeo.
CARD Online |
10-20-2009 12:23 pm |
Industry News
Local Push Has Helped East Bay Express Become Voice of its Communitynew
The "buy local" and community-building philosophy the Express has been practicing since its ownership change in 2007 has paid off, publisher Jody Colley tells the Newspaper Association of America newsletter Big Ideas. "Since we've taken an active role in supporting and producing community events and working with the business community, we're now referred to as the 'media of record' for our area," she says. "The Express is typically approached first for business opportunities, story leads and advertising buys."
Big Ideas (PDF file) |
10-14-2009 2:32 pm |
Industry News
AAN West and Web Publishing Conferences Return This Winter
After a one-year absence, both AAN West and the Web Publishing Conference are slated to return to the Bay Area this winter. The Web Publishing Conference will begin with a social event on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 27, and will end on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 29. AAN West will begin that afternoon in Berkeley, with programming continuing all day on Saturday, Jan. 30.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
10-13-2009 10:07 am |
Association News