October 9, 2002

Justice Dept. opens alt-weekly inquiry

The Los Angeles Times'Tim Rutten announces the Department of Justice's launch of an anti-trust investigation of New Times Corp. and Village Voice Media, wonders whatever happened to the "insurgent journalism" of which alternative weeklies were born, and contemplates the irony behind John Ashcroft's Justice Department efforts to uphold the economic rights of the sex industry, which accounts for the majority of the weekly chains' classified ad revenues
http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-et-rutten16nov16,0,6786163.story

Is fast probe a press to reopen papers?

Justice officials working on the anti-trust investigation may be looking for a way to re-create competition in Los Angeles and Cleveland, reports Los Angeles Times media reporter Tim Rutten http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-et-rutten20nov20,0,3968105.story

 Inquiry into weeklies is coming to town

On the eve of depositions in Los Angeles, reports Los Angeles Times' Tim Rutten, federal and state investigators focus on how New Times and Village Voice Media's moves to kill competition undermines hard-hitting, local news reporting
http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-et-rutten21dec21,0,368189.story

Village Voice media reporter decries VVM and New Times’ corporate bottom line - and wonders how long it will be before investors put the chains up for sale
“Green and Greener,” Cynthia Cotts, The Village Voice, Oct. 9, 2002.
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0241/cotts.php

The New York Times welcomes weeklies into the world of corporate greed
“Alternative Weeklies Divide Turf,” David Carr, New York Times, Oct. 7, 2002.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/07/business/media/07PAPE.html

LA Weekly bemoans the closure of its competitor. New Times executive editor Michael Lacey tells a reporter to ‘go fuck yourself’
“The End of New Times,” Howard Blume, Oct. 4, 2002. http://www.laweekly.com/ink/02/46/news-blume.php

The Los Angeles Times describes how the deal went down
“New Times Cuts Deal to Close L.A. Paper,” Tim Rutten and J. Michael Kennedy, Oct. 3, 2002.
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-fi-newtimes3oct03.story

A first person perspective on working for New Times in L.A.
“Old Times Recalled at End of New Times,” Los Angeles Times, Scott Timberg, Oct. 3, 2002.
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/02/46/news-blume.php

The Los Angeles Press Club’s statement condemning the horse-trading deal that left L.A. with just one alternative
“Statement on Closing of New Times L.A. from the Los Angeles Press Club Board, Oct. 2, 2002 (updated Oct. 3).
http://www.lapressclub.org/

Bay Guardian executive editor Tim Redmond reports on the paper’s suit challenging New Times-owned SF Weekly’s anti-competitive practices
“The Predatory Chain,” Tim Redmond, San Francisco Bay Guardian, 3/6/02.
http://www.sfbg.com/36/23/news_sfweekly.html

The Bay Guardian’s Ron Curran foretells New Times’ purchase of the SF Weekly, its imposition of a cookie-cutter format, and uncovers the “evil empire’s” plans for market domination
“Will SF Weekly be sold?”, Ron Curran, San Francisco Bay GuardianDecember 14, 1994.
http://www.sfbg.com/37/02/news_sfweekly_sold.html

An overview of recent trends in the print media market by the Los Angeles Times - including the shrinking of the alternative press
“A Serious Shift in Readers’ Interests,” Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 4, 2002.
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/02/46/news-blume.php