but on the other hand

[pantryslut]

The Village Voice and its affiliated papers have just been bought by the New Times conglomerate. The VV chain was the only competitive counterbalance left to the New Times' domination of alt-weekly papers across the country; with this acquisition, as several other people have put it, New Times becomes the Clear Channel of alt weeklies.

This has been a long time coming, but it's still sad news.

Comments

[felicks.livejournal.com]

I saw the headline and got so upset. Then I was remembering how they conspired a couple years ago to price gouge and thought "Oh well".

This world sucks. Of course, I am about to start my period.

[buttler.livejournal.com]

oh god. that's just horrible.

[cindymonkey.livejournal.com]

does that actually make the sfbg the ONLY indie weekly left?

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

I don't know, but I can't think of any other completely independent major alt-weekly off the top of my head.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

We sure don't have any, given that the Village Voice bought both of our a few years ago and then closed one. Which makes me just shrug at the VV being bought by New Times, because I can't get too worked up at the thought of the people who killed one of my local indie weeklies and turned the other into a shambling zombie that got the local jokes wrong (!) being zombified in turn.

Nor would I celebrate. But I could not bring myself to mourn it under any circumstances.

Silver Lining

[abostick59.livejournal.com]

Better the New Times people than Rupert Murdoch, who owned the Voice at one point.