AAN News
Cell, Big-Box, Love Drugs Emerge as 2004's Hot Ad Categoriesnew
If you want to know where ad spending is heading this year, follow tech and the male libido. Experts expect a big spike in advertising for Viagra-like pharmaceuticals (that already started with Super Bowl spots), for cell phones, for discount retailers and home-improvement stores battling for market share, and for big-box stores that are finally seeing a boom in the DTV market.
Broadcasting & Cable |
02-10-2004 9:21 am |
Industry News
MoveOn.org Targets "Elite" Through Newspaper Adsnew
MoveOn.org, the Web-based liberal advocacy group, draws admiration from Democrats and provokes grudging respect from Republicans for its canny use of the Internet to recruit membership and deliver its anti-Bush message. The organization, which claims more than 1.4 million members in the United States, made headlines last month with its contest to select 30-second anti-Bush television spots.
Editor & Publisher |
02-10-2004 9:06 am |
Industry News
Alt-Weekly Advertiser Tower Records Files for Bankruptcynew
Competition from behemoth discounters like Wal-Mart and free downloading of music from the Internet had the giant record retailer singing a sad song in court Monday. The 93-store chain based in West Sacramento, Calif., intends to keep operating its stores as it reorganizes, its chief executive tells Reuters.
Reuters |
02-10-2004 6:34 pm |
Industry News
New Hampshire Voters Respond to Candidates' Appealsnew
Travis Durfee's schedule for three days is as hectic as any presidential candidate's. He catches six of the seven main Democratic presidential hopefuls as he criss-crosses New Hampshire. Some of his observations: Joe Lieberman is trying to use President Bush to campaign for him; a subtler, more refined Howard Dean can still bring listeners to the edge of their seats with his message; John Edwards oozes compassion as he works a room the same way he might work a jury for a settlement; Dennis Kucinich supporters wonder if they should vote on principle or to win; the Wesley Clark crowd's enthusiasm seems like overcompensation; and John Kerry looks like New Hampshire's Old Man of the Mountain before it crumbled.
Tags: Metroland
New Youth-Oriented Tabs Avoid In-Your-Face Tone of Alternatives, Monitor Reportsnew
The new entertainment-focused papers popping up in cities across the U.S. are "a melange of Entertainment Weekly and Reader's Digest," delivering simple content and big photos, says The Christian Science Monitor. But don't expect them to carry Savage Love. AAN Executive Director Richard Karpel says content shaped by focus groups "doesn't create a very compelling product." Readership Institute Director John Lavine argues that the hundreds of thousands of readers who pick up the tabloids prove there's a market.
The Christian Science Monitor |
02-10-2004 3:17 pm |
Industry News
"Fog of War" Director Hints at Idealismnew
Errol Morris has been accused of being a misanthrope, but Weekly Dig Editor Joe Keohane writes that the director of the documentary about former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara obsesses too much over humanity to be judged guilty of hating it. Morris may think we're doomed by a combination of human folly and weapons of mass destruction, but he hopes awareness could keep us from engaging in endless wars. "People ask me if I would like this [film] to be shown to the current administration," Morris tells Keohane. "You betcha. Let's strap them down in seats and force them all to watch 'The Fog of War.'"
Tags: Boston's Weekly Dig
Longtime Political Writer Leaves Houston Pressnew
The Houston Chronicle obtains only brief comments from Tim Fleck, the 57-year-old author of the weekly column The Insider, and Houston Press Editor Margaret Downing, about the circumstances of the departure. Others assess the impact of Fleck's acerbic political coverage. In his last column for the Press, Fleck writes about Congressional candidate Lloyd "Ted" Poe, known for the shame sentences he handed out as district judge, and the time Poe underwent his own moment of shame.
Houston Chronicle |
02-10-2004 12:50 pm |
Industry News
Online Magazine Captures Coveted Audiencenew
"Slate is a rare publication in the online world: It is alive," Nina Shapiro writes for Seattle Weekly. Now the fourth most widely read entity on the Web, it focuses "on subjects that excite the chattering classes." Shapiro interviews Michael Kinsley, the gadget geek who founded the Microsoft-backed magazine, and Jacob Weisberg, who has doubled readership since taking over as editor two years ago. She reflects on what results when writers try to merge thoughtfulness with speed.
Tags: Seattle Weekly
Massachusetts Considers Anti-Gay-Marriage Amendmentnew
Since suffering two life-threatening illnesses four years ago, the state's Senate president, Robert Travaglini, has adopted a conciliatory approach toward his colleagues. Next week the 51-year-old—who is pro-civil-union but draws the line at matrimony—will preside over a debate about amending the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. Boston Phoenix writer Adam Reilly profiles the man who will lead legislators' response to Wednesday's Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling that the state must allow gay marriage. "What, exactly, " Reilly asks, "are the long-term ramifications of a governing style based on sharing power and making people feel good?"
Tags: Boston Phoenix
South Carolina Audience Comes Alive When Al Sharpton Takes the Stagenew
John Edwards may have won South Carolina but the Rev. Al Sharpton captured the attention of a crowd in Greensville, S.C., by specifically addressing the issues that worry people. "We are tired of imitation Republicans leading this party," he tells MetroBEAT news editor James Shannon. Edwards and front-runner John Kerry both seemed to be playing defense, Shannon writes.
Tags: MetroBEAT
Columnist Once Called "The Poor Man's Tom Paine" Retiresnew
The Wall Street Journal wasn't so interested in coverage of poverty and urban issues, or critical analyses of people in power. So in 1968 Roldo Bartimole left that paper and devoted the next 35 years to writing for alternative publications, living on the modest pay that comes with that pursuit. For 10 years he wrote a column for the Cleveland Free Times, leaving when Village Voice Media shut down the since-revived paper in 2002. He also wrote for the Cleveland Edition in the 1980s and, most recently, for an African-American weekly, City News. Now 70, Roldo is giving up his one-man newsletter, "Point of View," to retire. New York Times reporter Walter Bogdanich tells E&P that even the targets of Bartimole's barbs had to admire his courage in following through on his beliefs.
E&P |
02-04-2004 2:24 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Management, Roldo Bartimole
Subpoenaed CityBeat Reporter Tells Council Why She Wrote about Police Pay Abusenew
"This was the definition of silly," a Republican council member says of the Cincinnati City Council's move to subpoena Leslie Blade to talk about her investigative piece. Having Blade testify brought the council no more information than reading the story, he says. Blade refused to answer a few questions during her half-hour appearance before the council Tuesday but said she wrote the article because "you're talking about public funds—about public trust—and the rules should be followed."
The Cincinnati Enquirer |
02-04-2004 1:06 pm |
Industry News
Dailies Post 6.5% Rise in Nationals in 2003new
Last year was not an easy one for US newspapers. A lacklustre job market made for empty recruitment pages. Cutbacks in department store advertising hurt retail category revenues. And troubles in the tourism industry translated into thin travel sections. But there was a bright spot. National advertisers, from entertainment groups to carmakers, showed an increasing willingness to launch their products, promote their brands and supplement other media campaigns in newspapers.
Financial Times London |
02-04-2004 8:42 am |
Industry News
Contest Entries for 2004 Set Record
Ruth Hammond |
02-04-2004 11:31 am |
Association News
Tags: Editorial
AAN West 2004 Photo Gallerynew
AAN |
02-03-2004 6:05 pm |
Association News
