Though he may appear to be an unlikely savior for an alternative weekly, Peter Barbey has high hopes for the Village Voice, which he bought for an undisclosed sum Oct. 12 from Voice Media Group. Founded in 1955 by a group of men that included Norman Mailer, the Village Voice has won three Pulitzer Prizes in the decades since. But it has struggled with advertising declines and heightened competition from digital outlets, such as Craigslist, that have afflicted many papers. Layoffs and management turnover have been regular occurrences since its 2005 acquisition by Voice Media. (WSJ)
Barbey has nixed the thought of changing the print edition size, pitched to staff the concept of special themed inserts and decided it’s time for a major ad dollar shift: getting rid of escort ads. (FishbowlNY)