LA Weekly
Encyclopedia
LA Weekly is a free weekly
tabloid-sized "alternative weekly
" in Los Angeles, California
. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas
. It is currently owned by Village Voice Media (formerly New Times Media
), the parent company of other major weeklies such as the New York City's Village Voice, Houston's Houston Press
, San Francisco's SF Weekly
, and the OC Weekly
of Orange County, California
. It is distributed every Thursday.
s, established in 1979. Starting in 2006, LA Weekly has hosted the LA Weekly Detour Music Festival
every October. The entire block surrounding Los Angeles City Hall
is closed off to accommodate the festival's three stages.
Some of its most famous writers are Pulitzer Prize
-winning food writer Jonathan Gold
. Nikki Finke
, who until recently blogged about the film industry through the Weekly's Website, left in June 2009 after signing a business deal with an online firm.
The paper was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who was the paper's editor from 1978 to 1991 and its president from 1978 to 1992. The majority of its core of initial staff members came from the Austin Sun
, a similarly-natured bi-weekly, which had recently ceased publication.
Although some former employees have complained about personnel moves since the Weekly's parent company's acquisition by New Times Media
(which assumed the Village Voice Media name), the paper has won a Pulitzer Prize, and broke the story of the "Grim Sleeper" serial killer. Some of those disgruntled ex-employees complained when New Times replaced news editor Alan Mittelstaedt with veteran New Times editor Jill Stewart. But in the 2009 LA Press Club Awards, the Weekly won six first-place awards, including three by staff writer Christine Pelisek, who was honored as the city's best reporter in investigative reporting, hard news, and news feature.
Harold Meyerson
, once the Weekly's political editor, charged in a departing email to Weekly staffers in 2006 that the new owners had grafted a cookie-cutter template for editorial content onto the publication.
Writers once closely associated with the Weekly but let go by the paper's current management include Meyerson, classical music critic Alan Rich
, theater critic Steven Leigh Morris, film critic Ella Taylor
, and columnist Marc Cooper
. Internal cut backs have resulted in the paper eliminating the position of managing editor, letting go several staff writers and other editorial department positions, as well as cutting the entire fact checking department. On June 1, 2009, the paper announced that Editor-in-Chief Laurie Ochoa, who began helming the paper in 2001 (before the New Times acquisition), was "parting ways" with the Weekly. On that same day, ads for her replacement appeared on Craig's List and Journalismjobs.com. Though some speculated that Stewart was a shoo-in for the position, the job quickly went to Drex Heikes, formerly of the Los Angeles Times. When Heikes left in 2011, he was replaced by Sarah Fenske.
Weekly management have said staff cuts are necessary due to poor economic conditions. However, some of the cuts are likely attributable to philosophical differences with the paper's current owners. Former staff writer Matthew Fleischer says that "as part of the company’s 'plug-and-play' management strategy, editors, writers and ad directors were moved from city to city within the chain, without regard for local knowledge. Any old-school Village Voice Media manager who resisted the metamorphosis was denounced as a 'lefty,' a 'throwback,' and worse. They were fired or simply fled."
In the Los Angeles market, LA Weekly competes against Brand X (a weekly newspaper published by the daily newspaper the Los Angeles Times and is produced by a crew that includes former LA Weekly staffers) and formerly LA CityBeat, a smaller alternative weekly newspaper owned by Southland Publishing, which ceased publication in March 2009, and also owns the Pasadena Weekly (helmed by veteran LA-area newsman Kevin Uhrich).
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
tabloid-sized "alternative weekly
Alternative weekly
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. Their news coverage is more...
" in Los Angeles, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
. It is currently owned by Village Voice Media (formerly New Times Media
New Times Media
Village Voice Media is a privately held corporation headquartered in Phoenix.The company owns the Village Voice, America's oldest and largest alternative weekly newspaper, as well as LA Weekly, OC Weekly in Orange County, California, Seattle Weekly, City Pages in Minneapolis-St...
), the parent company of other major weeklies such as the New York City's Village Voice, Houston's Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
, San Francisco's SF Weekly
SF Weekly
SF Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper in San Francisco, California. The newspaper, distributed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area every Wednesday, is published by Village Voice Media, a 16-paper alt weekly newspaper chain that also includes the New York City Village Voice and the Los...
, and the OC Weekly
OC Weekly
OC Weekly, a sister publication of both LA Weekly and The Village Voice, is a free, left-wing weekly paper distributed in Orange County, California and also in Long Beach....
of Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. It is distributed every Thursday.
History
According to their website, "LA Weekly has been the premier source for award-winning coverage of Los Angeles music, arts, film, theater, culture, concerts, [and] events." The LA Weekly also recognizes outstanding small theatre productions (99 seats or less) in Los Angeles, with their annual LA Weekly Theater AwardLA Weekly Theater Award
LA Weekly Theater Award is an annual critics' award established in 1979, given by the LA Weekly for outstanding achievements in small theatre productions in Southern California...
s, established in 1979. Starting in 2006, LA Weekly has hosted the LA Weekly Detour Music Festival
LA Weekly Detour Music Festival
The LA Weekly Detour Music Festival was a music festival that was held every October in Los Angeles, California. The entire block surrounding Los Angeles City Hall was closed off and three stages were erected for the festival, which lasted from noon to midnight on the day it was held. It was...
every October. The entire block surrounding Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...
is closed off to accommodate the festival's three stages.
Some of its most famous writers are Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning food writer Jonathan Gold
Jonathan Gold
Jonathan Gold is a food critic who currently writes for LA Weekly and used to write for Gourmet magazine. In 2007 he became the first such critic to win the Pulitzer Prize. He is also a regular on KCRW's Good Food radio program....
. Nikki Finke
Nikki Finke
Nikki Finke is an American journalist and blogger. She is Founder and Editor in chief and President of Deadline.com, a website with original content consisting of her and other veteran showbiz journalists' reporting and commentary on the business of the entertainment industry formerly known as...
, who until recently blogged about the film industry through the Weekly's Website, left in June 2009 after signing a business deal with an online firm.
The paper was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who was the paper's editor from 1978 to 1991 and its president from 1978 to 1992. The majority of its core of initial staff members came from the Austin Sun
Austin Sun
The Austin Sun was a bi-weekly counter-culture newspaper, similar in nature to Rolling Stone during the latter's formative years, that was published in Austin, Texas, between 1974 and 1978. It is notable for being the newspaper that started the careers of many persons who later became well-known...
, a similarly-natured bi-weekly, which had recently ceased publication.
Although some former employees have complained about personnel moves since the Weekly's parent company's acquisition by New Times Media
New Times Media
Village Voice Media is a privately held corporation headquartered in Phoenix.The company owns the Village Voice, America's oldest and largest alternative weekly newspaper, as well as LA Weekly, OC Weekly in Orange County, California, Seattle Weekly, City Pages in Minneapolis-St...
(which assumed the Village Voice Media name), the paper has won a Pulitzer Prize, and broke the story of the "Grim Sleeper" serial killer. Some of those disgruntled ex-employees complained when New Times replaced news editor Alan Mittelstaedt with veteran New Times editor Jill Stewart. But in the 2009 LA Press Club Awards, the Weekly won six first-place awards, including three by staff writer Christine Pelisek, who was honored as the city's best reporter in investigative reporting, hard news, and news feature.
Harold Meyerson
Harold Meyerson
Harold Meyerson is an American journalist and opinion columnist. In 2009 The Atlantic Monthly named him one of "the most influential commentators in the nation" as part of their list "The Atlantic 50."...
, once the Weekly's political editor, charged in a departing email to Weekly staffers in 2006 that the new owners had grafted a cookie-cutter template for editorial content onto the publication.
Writers once closely associated with the Weekly but let go by the paper's current management include Meyerson, classical music critic Alan Rich
Alan Rich
Alan Rich was an American music critic who served on the staff of many newspapers and magazines on both coasts. Originally from Brookline, Massachusetts, he first studied medicine at Harvard University before turning to music...
, theater critic Steven Leigh Morris, film critic Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor is a film critic who was a staff writer for the LA Weekly and Village Voice Media, writing film and book reviews, interviews, profiles, and cultural and political commentary from 1989 to 2009, when she and much of the staff were laid off....
, and columnist Marc Cooper
Marc Cooper
Marc Cooper is an American journalist, author, journalism professor and blogger. He is currently a contributing editor to The Nation. He wrote the popular "Dissonance" column for LA Weekly from 2001 until November 2008...
. Internal cut backs have resulted in the paper eliminating the position of managing editor, letting go several staff writers and other editorial department positions, as well as cutting the entire fact checking department. On June 1, 2009, the paper announced that Editor-in-Chief Laurie Ochoa, who began helming the paper in 2001 (before the New Times acquisition), was "parting ways" with the Weekly. On that same day, ads for her replacement appeared on Craig's List and Journalismjobs.com. Though some speculated that Stewart was a shoo-in for the position, the job quickly went to Drex Heikes, formerly of the Los Angeles Times. When Heikes left in 2011, he was replaced by Sarah Fenske.
Weekly management have said staff cuts are necessary due to poor economic conditions. However, some of the cuts are likely attributable to philosophical differences with the paper's current owners. Former staff writer Matthew Fleischer says that "as part of the company’s 'plug-and-play' management strategy, editors, writers and ad directors were moved from city to city within the chain, without regard for local knowledge. Any old-school Village Voice Media manager who resisted the metamorphosis was denounced as a 'lefty,' a 'throwback,' and worse. They were fired or simply fled."
In the Los Angeles market, LA Weekly competes against Brand X (a weekly newspaper published by the daily newspaper the Los Angeles Times and is produced by a crew that includes former LA Weekly staffers) and formerly LA CityBeat, a smaller alternative weekly newspaper owned by Southland Publishing, which ceased publication in March 2009, and also owns the Pasadena Weekly (helmed by veteran LA-area newsman Kevin Uhrich).