AAN News

Decision to Dump Escort Ads About Demographics, Not Morals, Says Dignew

Jeff Lawrence (pictured) could care less that some law enforcement officials think escort ads are a front for prostitution. According to a recent piece in E&P, the president of Boston's Weekly Dig decided to remove the ads from his paper because he thought they were attracting too many 50-year-old white male suburbanites. "It's no different than if we started running ads for Geritol or Depends adult diapers," Lawrence tells E&P. "In terms of attracting readers, content is one thing, but the advertisements, too, are huge part of determining whether your readers are going to respond to your paper." Lawrence says the Dig also is considering whether to drop a couple of other categories that may not belong in the paper. "Advertisers like that you're protecting your demographic," he says, "They say, 'You're willing to give up revenue to stay on mission -- that's fantastic.'"
Editor & Publisher  |  05-12-2006  12:50 pm  |  Industry News

Dig Dumps GFE for ROP

Escort Ads Were Clearly Attracting Too Many Old People (FULL STORY)
05-02-2006  1:41 pm  |  Press Releases

Weekly Dig Gets Props From CBS Analyst

Jon Keller, a political analyst for the local CBS affiliate in Boston, gives high praise to the Weekly Dig in an April 8 post on his blog. Keller calls the newspaper "indispensable" and points readers to a recent Dig story on Keno as a must-read in Massachusetts' legalized-gambling debate. According to his bio on the station's Web site, Keller also broadcasts morning drive commentaries on WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and contributes weekly to The Boston Herald and monthly to Boston Magazine, which is owned by the same company that owns the Dig.
04-11-2006  10:24 am  |  Industry News

Dan Savage + Boston's Weekly Dig = Savage Love

Award Winning Columnist Returns to his Boston Roots (FULL STORY)
03-22-2006  2:24 pm  |  Press Releases

Ten Newspapers Apply for AAN Membership

Eight of the prospective members are previous applicants, and two are owned by alt-weekly veterans who had been members during a previous association with different papers. AAN members will also be asked this year to evaluate Boston's Weekly Dig and Des Moines' Cityview, the first two post-sale newspapers whose membership will be reviewed under a process established in 2004 when the association's bylaws were amended. The fate of all of these papers will be determined at the organization's next Annual Meeting, which will be held in Little Rock on Saturday, June 17, the last day of the 29th annual AAN convention. (FULL STORY)
AAN Staff  |  02-23-2006  9:06 am  |  Association News

Weekly Dig Wins Prestigious Best Alternative Newspaper Design Award

In Only Its Second Year of NEPA Membership, Dig Doubles Take; Eight Awards Expected in 2007 (FULL STORY)
02-14-2006  3:53 pm  |  Press Releases

Phoenix Media Plans Web Site Overhaulnew

The owner of alt-weeklies in Boston, Providence and Portland, Maine, will launch new sites for each paper on Jan. 1, according to the Boston Business Journal. Phoenix Media executive vice president Bradley Mindich says the $200,000 upgrade is a smart investment in light of the growth of Internet advertising. "In five years, it is highly probable that, as a converged media company, the Web could be the largest ad revenue generator for us," says Mindich. The Business Journal also reports that Phoenix competitor The Weekly Dig will launch a new site in March modeled after Boston.com but targeting the 18- to 34-year-old demographic.
Boston Business Journal via MSNBC  |  12-27-2005  12:29 pm  |  Industry News

The Dig on Bosox-Yanks: Gayest Cover Ever?new

There are three things you should know about this week's cover, the Dig's Joe Keohane tells the Boston Herald: 1. The timing was right, since the Sox and Yankees are "neck and neck (so to speak)'' in the pennant race. And the one-year anniversary of the Massachusett's same-sex marriage ruling is only, umm, six weeks out. 2. The photo was snapped by Tony Bennett's granddaughter. 3. It's an experiment to see who would be more pissed off -- baseball fans or homophobes.
Boston Herald  |  09-29-2005  2:50 pm  |  Industry News

Boston's Weekly Dig Attracts the Jewish Advocate's Attention

The Advocate, a Boston-based magazine, reported last week on the Dig's decision to run a crossword puzzle titled "The Jews." Written by managing editor Eric Solomon, the puzzle includes clues such as "Oy, we killed the (blank) of God!" Solomon tells the Advocate that "I'm Jewish, and I don't think [the puzzle is] offensive." He adds: "If we're not in a society where we can make fun of ourselves, that's sad." Robert Trestan of the Anti-Defamation League tells the Advocate that "some people might find [the puzzle] offensive, but I don't think it's anti-Semitic."
08-22-2005  11:36 am  |  Industry News

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