Village Voice Media being acquired by New Times very soon

As for what's in store... Well, Westword, the New Times paper in Denver, has no book review section. And yes, Rob, I know that not all New Times papers are the same. Still, what does that tell you about these guys' priorities? Or, if you're interested, got to www.westword.com and type "TABOR" into the search engine, or "C and D" (what next week's ballot is going to be all about in Colorado), and follow the links, and see if you learn anything about it. Pitiful.

Xpost Xpost Xpost

This is inelegant code for unfastening everyone who had an opinion in hard copy versus someone who will give you their opinion for free or pennies on the Internet. What's the difference, actually? Well, one's a rationalization and an excuse, the other's the justification for the rationalization and the excuse. It's just like every other newspaper manically seized by obsession and fear of/with content from the Internet. Most newspapers are going through or will go through this in 2005 or next year. Even though profitable, cuts are expected at the biggest because it's the way corporate does things.

And before the regrets and bad news there is always the parade of rationalizations about the Internet and nature of editorial content and its origin and how the changing world has dictated something bad but we're still dedicated to and will do great journalism because great journalism is great.

Of course, you follow this to its logical conclusion, you don't even need local editors over the next few years. You can ship raw copy instantaneously to Indonesia or any old ex-Brit empire country now a slave labor nation with high bandwidth telecomm connections to the net and get the product back to you before you get up in the morning.
Hey, "The Internet had made it completely unnecessary to have workers at alternate newspapers fulfilling this role."

We all have different opinions on who are the better or worse editors of these papers. (This isn't even relating to music editors, necessarily. This can be arts editors, food editors, film editors, political editors, CHIEF editors, etc.) Every paper has a combination of good and bad editors... some are overall better than others.

What this New Times buyout will do is essentially equalize the good and bad qualities of these papers. The shitty editors will have to shape up, and the good editors will be likely (and this depends on which delegate at the Denver/Phoenix Borg Central is assigned to whom) be told how to do things, when they don't need to be told how to do things.

All in all, this is sad, because while a lot of really bad sections might improve, a lot of great sections are likely going to be compromised, and I don't think anything will arise from this that will equal the greatness of the latter. These singular visions that were enjoyable sections are going to be less singular, and this is the sad part. But hey, cut-to-the-chase corporate visions aren't really interested in preserving uniquely great quality in certain spots.. they're interested in across-the-board profitability, even if it means the referendums are going to blemish the good spots, as well as improve the bad spots.

Yup. Though the smart editors will listen to what they are being told ... a lesson from wise-old deposed Uncle Chris.

haha thanks for making my blood run cold!

a little "I've moved on" humor there ...

One possible welcome effect: better movie reviews from more reviewers.

I see how it's welcome, but I don't see how it's possible.

I see your point. Definitely not intended to make it sound end-all be-all. My situation is my situation. I found it tough to work for them.

... not gonna say anything else.

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2005/11/doj_approves_vi.asp
http://blogs.citypages.com/pscholtes/2005/10/new_times_takes.asp

http://villagevoice.com/news/0549,murphy,70679,2.html

oh, yeah, like the guy resigned, wow.

(I'm not gonna post here again; just thought people might be curious.)

Yeah, I can't see this being a good thing given what's happened with L.A. Weekly. More likely, they've re-animated the Voice's corpse to do horrendous things against its will.

There is approximately 0 chance that the latter is not the case, with a 0 margin of error.

People lose their memories every 3 years, and you have to remind them that everything Brian Calle touches turns to turds and that his "gee golly who me" attitude belies a guy WHO LEARNED HOW TO LAUNDER RIGHT-WING TALKING POINTS INTO THE MAINSTREAM WITH JAMES O'KEEFE. https://t.co/8ms8olJnEn

— April Wolfe (@AWolfeful) December 23, 2020

It makes me feel insane that people somehow forget Brian Calle was VP at the Claremont Institute & then was magically placed in the role of opinion editor for SoCal News Group. That's not an accident. He wasn't a journalist. This guy was trained for laundering and grifting.

— April Wolfe (@AWolfeful) December 23, 2020

ugh

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EzNe254VkAIIy71.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKdHy18rZcI

And just realized after all these years that this song has kind of the “I Want Candy” variant of the Bo Diddley Beat.

Forgot the #onethread

let's twist again

why do my hips hurt

Took a gander at the twitter account of the guy Brian Calle just hired as the new CEO of Village Voice. He's a Hamptons Trump bro obsessed with the Hunter Biden laptop conspiracy theory. Surprised he didn't go private before the announcement. pic.twitter.com/VNqjEryGKB

— April Wolfe (@AWolfeful) July 1, 2021

For fuck's sake, someone please put the Voice out of its misery. It deserves a dignified death, not this.

Same thought: just sad.

Think you'll find selling it to Calle eradicated any possibility of dignity.

So they've got a Fall 2021 Print Edition online, and latest (?) music coverage:
https://www.villagevoice.com/category/music-2021/

I Don’t trust new owner based on what I have read, so kind of ignoring new Voice