Alternative newspaper
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An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Its news coverage is more locally focused, and their target audiences are younger than those of daily newspapers. Typically, alternative newspapers are published in tabloid format and printed on newsprint. Other names for such publications include alternative weekly, alternative newsweekly, and alt weekly, as the majority circulate on a weekly schedule.
Most metropolitan areas of the United States and Canada are home to at least one alternative paper. These papers are generally found in such urban areas, although a few publish in smaller cities, in rural areas or exurban areas where they may be referred to as an alt monthly due to the less frequent publication schedule.
Content
Alternative papers have usually operated under a different
Many alternative papers feature an annual "best of" issue, profiling businesses that readers voted the best of their type in the area. Often these papers send out certificates that the businesses hang on their wall or window. This further cements the paper's ties to local businesses.
Alternative newspapers represent the more commercialized and mainstream evolution of the underground press associated with the 1960s counterculture. Their focus remains on arts and entertainment and social and political reportage. Editorial positions at alternative weeklies are predominantly left-leaning, though there is a contingent of conservative and libertarian, alt-weeklies. Styles vary sharply among alternative newspapers; some affect a satirical, ironic tone, while others embrace a more straightforward approach to reporting.
Columns commonly
The Village Voice, based in
Chains and mergers
Some alternative newspapers are independent. However, due in part to increasing
Creative Loafing, originally only an Atlanta-based alternative weekly, grew into Creative Loafing, Inc. which owned papers in three other southern U.S. cities, as well as the Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper.
The pre-merger Village Voice Media, an outgrowth of New York City's
In 2003, the two companies entered into a non-competition agreement which stated that the two would not publish in the same market. Because of this, New Times Media eliminated
On October 24, 2005, New Times Media announced a deal to acquire Village Voice Media, creating a chain of 17 free weekly newspapers around the country with a combined circulation of 1.8 million and controlling a quarter of the weekly circulation of alternative weekly newspapers in North America.[5] The deal was approved by the Justice Department and, on January 31, 2006, the companies merged into one, taking the name Village Voice Media.[6]
Nonetheless, a number of owner-operated, non-chain owned alternative papers survive, among them
Canadian examples of owner-operated, non-chain owned alternative papers include Vancouver's The Georgia Straight, Toronto's NOW Magazine, Edmonton's Vue Weekly and Halifax's The Coast. Examples outside the United States and Canada include Barcelona's BCN Mes.
See also
- List of alternative weekly newspapers
References
- ^ Meyer, Daniel (February 2015). "Alternative weekly newspapers rethink their strategies". Buffalospree.com. Buffalo Spree. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
- ^ "Support the America's longest-running alt weekly, the Pacific Sun". Support Your Local Newspaper. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
- ^ Amatulli, Jenna (31 August 2018). "The Village Voice Has Shut Down And People Are Sharing Their Best Memories Of The Paper". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
- ^ "Competitive Impact Statement : U.S. v. Village Voice Media, LLC and NT Media, LLC". Usdoj.gov. Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
- ^ "New Times Will Buy Village Voice Media". The New York Times. 25 October 2005. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "New Times, Village Voice Merger Closes | Press Releases | AltWeeklies.com". Aan.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2014-02-20.