AAN News

Former News & Review Employee Accused Of Embezzlementnew

Former Sacramento News & Review sales director Jeff Lang allegedly stole "hundreds of thousands of dollars."
North Coast Journal  |  12-10-2010  12:21 pm  |  Legal News  |  Comments (1)

Classified Sales Webinar Recording Now Available For Purchase

AAN members that were unable to attend yesterday's sales webinar, Taking the Pulse of Classifieds, can now purchase a full recording of the session along with the accompanying research report. (FULL STORY)
10-29-2010  1:34 pm  |  Industry News

Backpage.com to Suspend Certain Areas of Personals and Adult Sections

In a proactive effort to protect its advertisers, users, and minors Backpage.com calls for creation of national task force to fight illegal users of online classified sites. (FULL STORY)
Backpage.com  |  10-19-2010  10:42 am  |  Press Releases

Webinar: Taking the Pulse of Classifieds

Join Carol Flagg as she presents the results of her research report on the current state of newspaper classified ads. (FULL STORY)
AAN  |  10-14-2010  2:30 pm  |  Industry News

New York Times Avoids Gratuitous Puns in Medical Marijuana Storynew

The New York Times says medical marijuana ads are giving alt-weeklies a financial boost.
New York Times  |  10-05-2010  9:52 am  |  Industry News

Backpage.com Rejects Calls for Censorship

Backpage.com respectfully declines the recent demand by a group of 21 state attorneys general that it close its adult classifieds website. (FULL STORY)
Backpage.com  |  09-21-2010  4:58 pm  |  Press Releases

Backpage.com, VVM Helped FBI Catch Child Predator

Village Voice Media responds to lawsuit against Backpage.com. (FULL STORY)
Village Voice Media  |  09-20-2010  7:32 am  |  Press Releases

Senior Advertising Executive Named CL Charlotte Associate Publisher

Wendy Goldstein, a senior advertising executive with McClatchy Newspapers, has been named Associate Publisher of Creative Loafing Charlotte. As Associate Publisher, Goldstein will be responsible for all sales, marketing, and business functions of CL Charlotte, the Carolinas’ largest city weekly and Charlotte’s leading source of information about the arts, entertainment, dining, and other aspects of city life. (FULL STORY)
Creative Loafing Press Release  |  07-06-2010  11:13 am  |  Press Releases

Early Registration Deadline for Toronto Approaches

Members and non-members have until the end of the day tomorrow, Friday, June 25 to receive the early registration discount for AAN's 33rd Annual Convention in Toronto. The discounted rate for members and associate members is $325 per person, and the discounted rate for non-members is $425 per person. Both rates will increase by $50 per person after Friday night.

In addition, when three representatives from the same member paper sign up, that paper will get a fourth registration free of charge. This offer will remain valid after the early registration deadline.

Click here to register online.

As of today, June 24, the Hilton Toronto still has a very limited number of rooms available at AAN's discounted rate of $139.00 (CAD) per night. Click here to reserve a room at AAN's group rate and contact the AAN office if you encounter any difficulty obtaining the group rate through their site.

READ MORE (FULL STORY)
AAN  |  06-24-2010  7:28 pm  |  Association News

Can a Redesign Boost the Bottom Line?

Ron Reason's recent redesign of Creative Loafing (Atlanta) was a bold articulation of the notion that any redesign effort should consider the question of revenue. His fresh treatment of alt-weekly mainstays such as the adult classifieds -- rebranded as "wink*" in Atlanta -- and use of creative advertising concepts like peel-away ads are just two examples of how a redesign can "give advertisers a reason to be excited about print again."

Can a similar approach work for your paper?

Reason will be in Toronto to provide a peek into the Atlanta alt-weekly's makeover and share tips on how to approach the overhaul of your print product, including the often overlooked task of incorporating your sales team into the process. Ron Reason is a visiting faculty member at The Poynter Institute and a design consultant who has assisted a variety of newspapers and magazines across the globe in rethinking the visual aspects of advertising.

"I always advise clients: why just switch fonts? Why not redesign for growth?" Reason explained on his blog. His session will leave you with plenty of ideas on how to lure in new clients with innovative marketing offerings that blend seamlessly with editorial content to create a finished product that advertisers will want to be a part of.
AAN  |  06-23-2010  5:38 pm  |  Association News

What is the 'Secret Weapon' of Alt-Weeklies?

Culture maven Patricia Martin says that in addition to being technologically savvy, the next generation of consumers is politically aware, hungry for knowledge, and are attracted towards brands that project authenticity.

All of this, Martin says, augurs well for alt-weeklies, which -- unlike mainstream media -- are uniquely positioned to capitalize on these trends.

"Some media outlets are doomed if they don't read the cultural trends," Martin says. "But independents have a secret weapon, they just need to optimize it."

The highly sought after keynote speaker and author of Renaissance Generation: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What it Means to Your Business, Patricia Martin will explain why she's bullish on the future of alt-media during an afternoon session at AAN's convention next month. Her award-winning consulting firm LitLamp Communications uses culture to connect brands with communities of consumers; and in Toronto she will demonstrate how alt-weeklies can use the lessons she's learned to create "emotional bonds" with their readers that will translate back to advertising dollars.

Martin's spot-on appraisal of the current cultural transition will be the final session on Friday, July 16, and is guaranteed to give convention attendees plenty to talk about as the evening's festivities commence.
AAN  |  06-21-2010  8:41 pm  |  Association News

Toronto Convention: Innovating in Hard Times

Costs have been cut. Page count is down. Morale could be better. How do we do more than survive? This is the focus of the annual convention in Toronto. The shakeup of the past two years has, in many ways, given alt-weeklies the chance of a lifetime -- an opportunity for rebirth and reinvention. This July, in one of the most beautiful cities in North America, industry leaders, big-picture thinkers and plenty of your smart peers will be explaining how to create a blueprint for financial success. You'll learn how to focus and rededicate your company to thrive for the next decades and longer. (FULL STORY)
AAN  |  06-14-2010  2:27 pm  |  Association News

Who is the Audience of the Alt-Weekly These Days?

When you have a president who not only admits he inhaled but confesses to having used cocaine, it’s time to redefine "alternative," according to Henry Scott. At the Toronto Convention, the newly named publisher of Creative Loafing (Atlanta) and chief marketing officer of all six Creative Loafing papers will discuss what the company is doing to redefine the traditional "alt-weekly" and make it meaningful to an audience that would rather be well employed and raise a family than drop out of society and rebel.

Scott -- a self-professed member of the Woodstock Generation -- says he had long ago quit reading alt-weeklies because he found them irrelevant. He says market research he did at previous jobs at the New York Times and Metro New York showed him that most young people agreed. So he and his Creative Loafing team have rethought their approach, using easily available market research and staff coaching. In Toronto, he'll talk about how they are doing and he'll detail both the research and business aspects of the strategy.
AAN  |  06-08-2010  12:24 pm  |  Association News

Gustavo Arellano, Maher Arar Tapped as Lunch Speakers for Convention

AAN has confirmed the guest speakers for its two lunches at this year's Toronto Convention. Ask a Mexican's Gustavo Arellano will reprise his role as host of the AltWeekly Awards banquet on Friday, July 16. And at the next day's Free Speech Lunch, attendees will hear from extraordinary rendition and torture victim Maher Arar, who was arrested by American immigration officials in 2002 and later deported to Syria. Despite being cleared of all ties to terrorism by Canadian officials, Arar remains on a U.S. terrorist watchlist, so you're not likely to see him speak in America any time soon.
AAN  |  05-26-2010  1:07 pm  |  Association News

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