Uncertain Future for the New York Press
july 29, 2011 10:53 am
Weeks after
losing its top two editors, word is circulating that the
New York Press may be on the verge of closing.
Last week the 23-year-old publication
named Marissa Maier as editor-in-chief, filling the slot left vacant when Jerry Portwood left for
Out magazine.
But parent company Manhattan Media
is reported to be seeking buyers for the title and/or website, and will cease publication if a buyer can't be found. Manhattan Media publisher and CEO Tom Allon was non-committal in his comments to the
The Village Voice, saying, "Everything is always potentially for sale for the right price," and refusing to speculate beyond the end of August:
"We have a new editor starting August 4," Allon said. "We plan to put out her first issue that week, and her second issue the week after that, and her third issue the next week. And what happens beyond that will play itself out."
At this point, he said, "there are no plans to do anything different than we've always done." But he added, "Media is like politics -- a month is a long time."
According to sources familiar with the paper's operations, one possibility moving forward, which Allon refused to comment on, would be the relaunch of a publication called Our Town Downtown -- the same title of the local newspaper Manhattan Media closed when they bought the Press in 2007.
